Anna Maria Swept by Saints, Lions in GNAC Tri-Match

BOSTON, Mass. – The Anna Maria College men's volleyball team fell to Emmanuel College, 3-0 (25-10, 25-11, 25-13) and lost to Emerson College, 3-0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-14) in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) tri-match on Saturday afternoon in the Jean Yawkey Center.   The pair of losses, Anna Maria fell to 1-15 on the season and 0-11 in GNAC action.

Match 1:

Emmanuel charged out to a 19-7 lead over the AMCATs in the opening set, backed by strong serving from Cameron Palmer (Damascus, Md.) and hitting by Michael Felix (Mission Hills, Calif.).  Sophomore outside hitter Drew Jordan (Braintree, Mass.) served off four-consecutive points for the Saints to give Emmanuel set-point at 24-9.  A Felix kill down the middle ended it for EC, with the Saints taking a 25-10 win in the opener.

Set two saw the Saints take a 16-7 lead midway through, following a kill from the left side by Jordan.  Trailing 20-8, the AMCATs signaled for a timeout.  A kill from rookie outside hitter Dylan Copeland (Haverhill, Mass.) pushed Anna Maria into double-figures at 23-10, but an AMCATs service error forced set-point for the Saints.  Junior hitter Brett Pettis (Haverhill, Mass.) found the floor for a 25-11 set two win and EC took a 2-0 lead in the match.

Anna Maria's Peter Griffenkranz (Deer Park, N.Y.) and Jonathan Gallardo (Marlborough, Mass.) combined for a solid assisted block to cut the AMCATs' deficit to 20-13 in the third set, but strong serving by Jordan helped Emmanuel to a 4-0 run and match point at 24-13.  Felix ended it again on a kill from the middle at 25-13 and the Saints took the 3-0 sweep.

Emmanuel hit .424 as a team with 36 kills in 66 total attacks.  The Saints were led by Austin Cockerill's (Darien, Conn.) 10 kills and 6 digs.  Pettis finished with a .615 hitting percentage on the day with 8 kills in 13 swings without an error, to go along with his match-high 7 digs.  Felix chipped in with 7 kills in 10 attacks, while Jorge Rojas (San Juan, Puerto Rico) dished out 29 assists for the Saints in the win.

Anna Maria was led by Griffenkranz's 6 kills, 3 digs and 2 assisted blocks.  Copeland added 5 digs and 3 kills, while freshman setter Michael Gaudelli (Hicksville, N.Y.) handed out 7 assists in the effort for the AMCATs.

Match 2:

Anna Maria took on the Lions of Emerson College in the second match of the day.  The Lions charged out to a quick 8-1 lead, before the AMCATs rallied with an 8-2 run to cut their deficit to two points at 11-9.  The Lions held on to their two-point edge at 15-13, after an Anna Maria kill by Ty Discoe (Pittsfield, Mass.).  Backed by strong hitting from Jackson Wiley (Los Angeles, Calif.), the Lions would push the spread to 23-15.  An AMCATS service error and a kill by John Morgan (Madison, Conn.) gave Emerson a 25-17 set one win.

The AMCATs battled to a 10-8 lead in the second set, powered by Griffenkranz and Gallardo.  Gaudelli and Gallardo combined to send a Lion's swing back, giving Anna Maria its largest lead at 11-8.  Emerson then went on a 3-0 run to knot the score at 11-all.  The Lions held a slim 17-15 lead after consecutive kills from Discoe.  A kill from the middle by Emerson rookie Devin McIntyre (Newtown, Pa.) put the Lions up 21-19, before the AMCATs called for a timeout, down 23-20.  An Anna Maria attack error forced set-point and a right-side kill from Ben Hillman (South Pasadena, Calif.) gave Emerson the set at 25-21 and a 2-0 lead in the match.

The Lions jumped out to a 17-9 lead in the third after an assisted block by McIntyre and Brendan McGonigle (Los Angeles, Calif.).  An Anna Maria attack error, followed by an ace from McGonigle gave Emerson a 22-10 advantage. A kill from Hillman forged match-point and Morgan's kill gave the Lions a 25-14 set win and the three-set sweep.

Emerson was paced by 10 kills and 4 BAs from Connor Burton (Valencia, Calif.), who hoit .615 for the match.  Wiley finished with 7 kills and 9 digs, while Hillman led the Lions' defense with 10 digs.  McGonigle dished out a match-high 27 assists in the win for Emerson.

Anna Maria got 8 kills and 4 digs from Griffenkranz, while Discoe chipped in with 7 kills.  Gaudelli dished out 20 assists and picked up a team-high 8 digs and 3 assisted blocks for the AMCATS.

Anna Maria returns to action on Monday night when they host Johnson & Wales at 7:00 p.m.