GNAC MEN'S VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
WINTHROP, Mass. – No. 3 seed Rivier and No. 4 seed Emmanuel both took care of business on their home courts on Tuesday (April 9) evening to advance to the semifinal round of the 2024 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Volleyball Championship Tournament. The semifinals are scheduled for Tuesday, April 11.
Both teams earned their quarterfinal victories with 3-0 sweeps as the Raiders took down No. 6 seed Emerson, while the Saints eliminated No. 5 seed Regis.
Awaiting the two quarterfinal winners are the top two seeds in this year's championship bracket. No. 1 seed Wentworth will host Emmanuel in one semifinal, while No. 2 seed Lasell welcomes the Raiders in the other. Both matches are scheduled for 7 p.m. starts.
The two semifinal winners will compete for the conference title on Saturday, April 13 with the winner being crowned 2024 GNAC Men's Volleyball Champion and earning the league's automatic qualifier into the NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Championship.
#3 Rivier 3, #6 Emerson 0
Recap courtesy of the Rivier Athletic Communications Department.
NASHUA, N.H. – The No. 3 seeded Rivier men's volleyball team produced a .412 team hitting percentage thanks to 40 assists from Neil Rea to sweep sixth seed, Emerson, in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Quarterfinals on Tuesday night at the Muldoon Center.
The Raiders won by set scores of 25-20, 25-18, 25-17 to advance to the semifinal round with an 18-13 record. The Lions concluded their season 6-17.
Rivier went on a 4-0 run early in the first set to take a 10-8 lead, forcing Emerson to call a timeout. The Raiders' lead would extend to five at 19-14 following a three-point swing, which included an ace from Matthew McCloskey. Ryan Peace and Chris Lezon would each record two kills following the final Emerson timeout to secure the 1-0 match lead. Rea dished out 17 assists as the team hit .448 in the opening frame.
In a second set with 13 tie scores and four lead changes, Rivier would put together a 10-3 after being tied at 15-all to steam past the Lions for a set two triumph. McCloskey hit .857 with six kills while Sokunbuth Ly hit .500 with six kills of his own. Lezon notched two aces in the set.
The Raiders led from the get-go in the third, allowing for multiple substitutions. Tyler Dickinson, Ethan Soltis, Aidan Combs, and Justin Barish all made appearances as Rivier cruised to victory. Peace had five block assists in the set while Isaac Borges recorded four.
Rea's 40 assists were a career-best for a three-set match. Ly hit .478 on the outing with a match-high 15 kills, followed by McCloskey's 11 kills at a .588 clip. Peace recorded no errors on 11 attempts, notching eight kills. Lezon had two aces and six kills.
The Raiders finished with six team blocks as Peace, Borges, McCloskey, and Ly each contributed to the defensive efforts. Borges' seven digs were a team-high. Peter White handed most of the serve-receive, posting a .947 percentage.
Rivier improved to 24-0 in the all-time series against Emerson, which dates back to 2012.
#4 Emmanuel 3, #5 Regis 0
Recap courtesy of the Emmanuel Athletic Communications Department.
BOSTON – After two tightly contested sets, Emmanuel men's volleyball pulled away in the third to secure a 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 25-18) victory over Regis in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) tournament quarterfinal Tuesday night on Andy Yosinoff Court.
Michael Shelley got the Saints off to a hot start with two kills to score the first points of the playoff matchup. After the Pride's Jay Bodhidatta knotted the game at six, the Saints retook the lead via a Jyles Amirault kill. Emmanuel maintained a slight edge throughout the remainder of the set to take a 25-23 win.
Both sides traded points past the midway point of the second set as the Pride looked to even the contest. With the score deadlocked at 14, Shelley and Amirault rose up for back-to-back kills followed by an Amirault ace for a three-point advantage. Regis battled back with Eddie Djatcha knotting the game at 20, but the Saints went on to reel off another three-point streak and ultimately took a 2-0 lead with a 25-22 set two victory.
Once again, the two sides battled back and forth deep into the third set. With the Saints leading 15-14, Emmanuel erupted on an 8-1 run to take a commanding lead. It was Shelley who rose up on match point for a kill to finalize the 3-0 quarterfinal victory with a 25-18 triumph.
Joseph Perez led the Pride offense with 14 kills while Tyrell Bucasas contributed 26 assists in the loss. Shelley led the Saints attack with 16 kills and Dominic DeFerrari added a match-best 29 assists. Amirault finished with 11 kills, tied for his season-high, in the win.
2024 GNAC Men's Volleyball Tournament Schedule
Quarterfinals – Tuesday, April 9
(Hosted by higher seeds)
#3 Rivier def. #6 Emerson, 3-0 | BOX
#4 Emmanuel def. #5 Regis, 3-0 | BOX
Semifinals – Thursday, April 11
(Hosted by higher seeds)
#4 Emmanuel at #1 Wentworth, 7 p.m.
#3 Rivier at #2 Lasell, 7 p.m.
Championship – Saturday, April 13
Semifinal winners, TBD
ABOUT THE GREAT NORTHEAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 16 member institutions and over 4000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
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