Men’s Volleyball Falls to Nationally-Ranked Endicott, Downs Southern Vermont in NECC Tri-Match

QUINCY, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene College men's volleyball team dropped a 3-0 decision to nationally-ranked Endicott before bouncing back to defeat Southern Vermont 3-0 Saturday afternoon in a conference tri-match at the Lahue Physical Education Center.

The Lions move to 6-9 on the season and 1-2 in the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) with the results. The Gulls, ranked No. 10 in the AVCA National Poll, improve to 8-2 overall and 2-0 in league action with two wins. The Mountaineers slide to 3-8 on the year and 0-4 in conference play with a pair of setbacks.

Tim Eddings (Endicott, N.Y.) posted a team-best 15 kills and added two blocks on the day. Samuel Cueva (Swampscott, Mass.) finished with 11 kills and a pair of blocks. James Hoopes (Lenexa, Kan.) notched nine kills, six digs, and six service aces. Brandon Jenkins (Norton, Mass.) collected 32 assists and dealt three aces. Brock Pease (Marshfield, Mass.) paced the squad defensively with 11 digs while Sunil Lepcha (Charlotte, N.C.) registered nine digs.

Eastern Nazarene endured a 3-0 loss to Endicott in the first match of the day.

The visitors grabbed a 1-0 edge with a 25-13 victory in the opening set. The Gulls widened the margin to 2-0 with a 25-10 win in the second frame. Endicott wrapped up its fifth-straight victory after claiming the third game 25-13.

The Lions closed out the day with a straight-sets victory over Southern Vermont.

The hosts prevailed 25-13 in the first frame to jump out to a 1-0 lead. Eastern Nazarene doubled its advantage to 2-0 with a 25-18 decision in the second set. The Lions triumphed 25-15 in the third to secure their first conference win of the year.

In the middle match of the afternoon, Endicott rolled to a 3-0 win over Southern Vermont to extend its winning-streak to six matches.

Looking ahead, Eastern Nazarene travels to Nichols for the first-ever meeting between the two teams February 27.