Beverly, MA — The Emmanuel College men's volleyball team dropped a straight-set decision to host Endicott College on Tuesday evening at MacDonald Gymnasium, falling 25-21, 25-17, and 25-19. The Saints slipped to 6-8 overall and 1-1 in Great Northeast Conference play, while the Gulls improved to 11-3.

Emmanuel showed resilience in the opening frame, trading leads with Endicott through 13 tie scores and five lead changes before ultimately surrendering the set 25-21. The Saints hit an efficient .306 in the first set, but couldn't sustain the momentum as Endicott pulled away in the second and third sets with increasingly dominant attack efficiency.

Senior Trey Guest led the charge for the Saints, delivering a standout offensive performance with 21 kills on 47 attempts for a .340 hitting percentage to go along with an ace and six digs. Eric Barcelos was equally efficient when called upon, going 7-for-10 with just one error for a team-best .600 hitting clip and adding a dig. Cody Gibendi provided a spark off the bench, posting six kills on eight swings without an error for a .750 percentage in limited sets played.

Despite the efficient hitting numbers from several individuals, Emmanuel struggled to keep pace with Endicott's Ethan Norris, who was nearly perfect on the night with 17 kills on 20 attempts for a scorching .850 hitting percentage. As a team, the Gulls hit .443 for the match compared to Emmanuel's .367.

Emmanuel did generate 11 service aces as a team — led by Christopher Escobar Veliz and Nathan Sierra-Suan with three each — but 14 service errors proved costly and helped Endicott maintain control, particularly in the second set where the Saints hit just .393 despite a better attack showing.

Setter Tye Barrett ran the Emmanuel offense in the back sets, distributing 23 assists across two sets of action.

The Saints return to action tomorrow night in Springfield, Massachusetts at American International College at 7:00 p.m.