After getting swept by No. 9 Wentworth to begin GNAC action, the Emerson men’s volleyball team lost to the Endicott College Gulls in a Feb. 4 non-conference matchup, 3-1.
The Gulls scored five straight points in the opening set before a kill from junior outside hitter Chase Fagen got the Lions on the board. Endicott built up a 12-2 lead behind kills from the front line and errors by Emerson. The Lions cut into Endicott’s advantage thanks to kills by Fagen, junior outside hitter Theo Hackett and sophomore right-side hitter Riley Goldman, but the Gulls dominated set No. 1 for a 25-11 victory.
The Lions mounted a solid response in the second set, taking a 6-2 lead after an ace by senior setter Bryson Beck. A spike from the Gulls eventually tied the set at seven before an Endicott attack error and kill by Beck gave Emerson a 9-7 lead. The second set was markedly closer, with neither team leading by more than three points until a Fagen spike brought the score to 18-14 in favor of Emerson. Errors by the Lions and attacks by the Gulls gave Endicott a brief 21-20 lead, but the Lions remained composed and fought their way back for a 27-25 win.
“There was a big switch-up in the energy,” Beck said, “Just a lot more movement out of everyone. Keeping the ball alive was what let us take that set. Let the other team beat themselves.”
With the match tied at one, both teams kept their momentum up in set No. 3. A kill by Beck tied the set at three before the Gulls capitalized on the Lions’ mistakes for a 10-6 advantage. Junior middle blocker Liam Higgins recorded a swat and a spike on consecutive possessions, bringing the Lions within three, 11-8. The Gulls began to pull away and led by as many as eight later on. Two kills and an ace by Fagen brought the Lions back to life, but the Gulls took the third set, 25-16.
The Lions’ defense started strong in the fourth set, as Hackett and first-year middle blocker Cash Muse connected on a block that tied the set at two. The set became another tight contest, as three consecutive kills shifted the game from 8-7 Emerson lead to 10-8 Endicott. Kills from Higgins and Muse tied the set again at 19, the crowd at the Bobbi Brown & Steven Plofker Gym growing louder with the Lions’ comeback attempt. Kills from Endicott and errors by Emerson gave the Gulls a 24-21 lead, and an attack error from Fagen cemented Endicott’s second win of the season.
Hackett led Emerson with 10 kills Tuesday night, while Fagen recorded nine and Beck six. Beck led the Lions in both assists (27) and aces (three), while junior libero Semaj Byrd and sophomore outside hitter Stanley Yu tallied 10 digs apiece.
“We went out there [and] we had a good time,” Beck said postgame. “That’s the most important part.”
Beck added the team’s mentality revolves around playing with joy this season.
“Have fun, play loose,” he said. “We’re not your traditional volleyball team, we’re a very small roster. So [we want to] have as much fun as we can, build up that synergy on the court and do things other teams can’t.”
The senior acknowledged the difficulty of the team’s opening slate, but added, “I think the best part about it is that we get to measure ourselves up against some really good competition.”
“[We get to] go out there, have nothing to lose, and see what we need to do to start taking sets against teams at that higher caliber,” Beck said.
Going forward, Beck emphasized maintaining energy as a key lesson from Tuesday’s match, something that goes beyond the bounds of Hank Smith Court.
“We’ve got to keep energy going from the start, and at these home games, let’s appreciate our fans more,” Beck said. “We got some great energy in the stands as well. Let’s build off of that, and we’ll see what we can do to support everybody that comes to watch us.”
The Lions have a week off before their next matchup, a home conference game against Lasell University on Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. Now standing at 0-5, they will aim for their first win of the season, both in conference and overall play.
