Men’s Volleyball Outlasts Endicott in Five-Set Thriller

QUINCY, Mass. – The Eastern Nazarene College men's volleyball team collected its second-consecutive five-set victory Thursday evening, knocking off Endicott 3-2 at the Lahue Athletic Center in a pivotal New England Volleyball Conference match. With the Lions' first-ever win over the Gulls, Eastern Nazarene locks up the No. 2 seed in the NEVC Tournament.

THE BASICS:
Score: Eastern Nazarene 3, Endicott 2
Records: Lions (15-6, 5-1 NEVC) | Gulls (11-11, 4-2 NEVC)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The visitors posted a 25-19 win in the opening set to grab a 1-0 edge.
• Eastern Nazarene answered with a 25-22 victory in the second frame to level the contest at 1-1.
• Endicott prevailed 25-23 in the third to reclaim a one-set advantage, 2-1.
• The Lions triumphed 25-22 in the fourth set to push the match to a winner-take-all fifth set.
• After falling behind 9-4 in the fifth game, the home team battled back to outscore the Gulls 11-3 to clinch the set 15-12 and secure its third victory in a row.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Alejandro Garcia Fernandez (San Juan, P.R.) racked up a match-high 24 kills while adding four aces, five digs, and four blocks.
• Delfy Soler (Lawrence, Mass.) tallied a season-high 16 kills to go with five digs.
• Jacob Zarges (Quincy, Mass.) notched 14 kills and a team-best eight digs.
• Aaron Huang (Quincy, Mass.) finished with 49 assists and four kills on the night.
• Dean Warner paced Endicott with 16 kills while Jake Laborde added 15 kills and Aidan Iacovelli recorded 13 kills.

PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS:
With the victory Thursday night, Eastern Nazarene clinched the No. 2 seed in the New England Volleyball Conference Tournament and will host a semifinal match April 11.

LOOKING AHEAD:
Eastern Nazarene wraps up the regular season at home April 6 with a pair of matches against Vermont State Johnson.