PROVIDENCE, R.I. – With Connor Burton and Eric Doherty matching up with eight kills apiece the Emerson Men's Volleyball Team couldn't shrug off a slow start Thursday night as they fell in four to the Johnson and Wales Wildcats. The Lions fell 25-12, 20-25, 25-19 and 25-21 in the match to move to 9-13 overall and 4-8 in the conference as JWU improves to 15-15 on the year and 7-5 in the GNAC.

Set one saw the Lions come out uncharacteristically sluggish as they just couldn't find a groove. Eric Doherty led the way for EC with three kills for a .600 percentage, but that was about all she wrote for the Lions as JWU plastered a .452 team attack percentage while three 'Cats hit .600 or better while posting four blocks on the Lions to take game one 25-12.

Game two saw a renewed Lion team as the came out guns blazing with a .409 attack percentage to send the Wildcats back on their heels. Connor Burton played the hero this time as he killed four to swing .667 with Stephen Selnick quarterbacking the offense with ten assists en route to EC's 25-20 win to knot it.

It didn't take JWU long to recover from the set though as they put it behind them in the third to better EC's attack percentage with a .556 team swinging average as Chris Espinola took the Wildcats on his back for five kills and a .571 average. The Lions hung in on the coattails of JWU's six service errors, but in the end the 'Cats took the win 25-19.

Set four turned into a brutefest as both teams wanted it with seven tie scores and three lead changes giving the fans their moneys worth as Espinola stepped up again for four kills while Nate Chivers and Frank O'Sullivan picked up three of their own. In the end, service and attack errors bit the Lions in the backside as they fell 25-21 to close out the match.

The Lions continue GNAC action this weekend as they set to travel to Mt. Ida for Saturday afternoon for a noon time match-up against the Rivier Raiders followed by a 2 p.m. tango with the hosting Mustangs.