Mancini's 28 Kills Leads Endicott in 3-1 Win Over Coast Guard

BEVERLY, Mass. - With a 28 kill performance from Emma Mancini (Lynnfield, Mass.) leading the way, the Endicott women's volleyball defeated regionally-ranked Coast Guard 3-1 on Wednesday night. With the win, Endicott improves to 17-9 (7-1 CCC) on the season while Coast Guard falls to 16-12 (5-3 NEWMAC). 

Mancini, who already has set the school record for kills in a match twice this season, nearly did so for a third time as she finished with a line of 28-4-47, good for a .511 average. The 28 kills are one shy of the 29 she posted in the team's five set win over Tufts earlier this season. The junior did set a new record for kills in a four set match, besting the previous record of 26 set by Sara Moore '07. Mancini completed her evening with an ace, eight digs and an assist block to end with 29.5 points.

The Gulls rolled to a 25-16 win in the first after hitting .412 as a team before the Bears countered with a 26-24 win in the second as the visitors limited the Endicott offense to a .156 average. The Gulls responded emphatically in the third, taking the set by a 25-16 final after hitting .361 before closing out the match with a 25-13 final. For the match, Endicott hit .295 while holding the Bears to a .112 average.

BEYOND THE BOX

• In one of Endicott's best defensive efforts of the season, the Gulls finished with six blocks and 59 digs, compared to two blocks and 55 digs for Coast Guard. Anchoring that effort was Cydney Pierce (Carpinteria, Calif.), who finished tied for the match-high with 14 digs, and Mareena Clotfelter (Poulsbo, Wash.), who finisehd with 13.
• This was Endicott's third win over Coast Guard as the visitors entered the match ranked 11th in the most recent NCAA DIII Regional Rankings.
• Guiding the offense to the impressive .295 average was Zoey Gifford (Natick, Mass.) who finished with 40 assists, eight digs and two aces.
• Sophomore pin hitter Remi Quesnelle (Sunderland, Mass.) finished with 10 kills on 22 swings to hit .364 while also chipping in four aces and five digs.

FOR THE FOES

• Outside Bridget Boyle (Dunwoody, Ga.) finished with a team-best 19 kills on the night as the freshman hit .212 (19-8-52) while also grabbing 10 digs to complete the double-double.
• Michelle McGill (Atlantic Beach, Fla.) matched Pierce defensively, finishing with 14 digs as well.
• Setter Makenna Martin (Granbury, Texas) finished with 32 assists and 13 digs in the setback.

WHAT'S NEXT

Endicott will host Eastern Nazarene and Rivier on Saturday as part of Endicott's Homecoming Weekend, and as the women's Senior Day. Seniors Cydney Pierce and Lauren Sheehan (Bainbridge Island, Wash.) will be honored in a brief ceremony before the 1:00 p.m. Eastern Nazarene match. Coast Guard will finish out the regular season on Saturday with a match at Wheaton at 1:00 p.m. 

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