Box Score THE BASICS
Score: Johnson & Wales 3, Emerson 1 (26-24, 25-11, 25-18, 25-20)
Records: Emerson Lions (9-9, 3-5 GNAC); Johnson & Wales Wildcats (16-13, 5-5 GNAC)
Location: Providence, R.I. (Wildcat Center)
Date: March 28, 2017
The Lead: In a 3-1 setback against GNAC foe, Johnson & Wales, on Tuesday night, the Emerson men's volleyball team saw their three-match win streak be snapped at the hands of the Wildcats.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET ONE
- Johnson & Wales held the advantage over Emerson until midway through the opening frame at 21-20 until the Lions answered with the next three of four points to take its first lead at 24-22.
- The Wildcats were able to knot the score at 24-all after a kill by Kyle MacKnight, but a swing from freshman John Bucy (McLean, Va.) and ace by sophomore Win Kittivatcharapong (Bangkok, Thailand) locked up the 26-24 win.
SET TWO
- Unlike the opening frame, Johnson & Wales were able to gain a lead and hold it through the entire stanza.
- After a Lions attack and ball handling error, the Wildcats were able to extend their lead into double-digits at 18-7.
- Emerson earned three more points back to bring them within eight at 18-10 before Johnson & Wales pieced together four consecutive points to bump the score to 22-10.
- A kill from junior Nick Rusk (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) added the 11th and final Lions point of the set as the Wildcats closed the 25-11 set win out with three points on a pair of MacKnight kills and an ace.
SET THREE
- After the Wildcats jumped out to an early 4-0 lead over the Lions, the closest the Lions were able to come to gaining a lead was within a seven-point margin.
- Despite a late 4-1 streak towards the end of the set to bring Emerson to just five points out at 23-18, a bad set and attack error allowed Johnson & Wales to claim the 25-18 win.
SET FOUR
- Emerson was not going away quietly in the final frame and squared the scored at 6-all after Johnson & Wales went ahead 4-1 to start off.
- The Lions kept within steady pace of the Wildcats and closed to within one at 9-8 and then two at 15-13 on a Wildcats service error.
- One was the closest that Emerson was able to come to Johnson & Wales before the Wildcats began to extend their advantage to six at 24-18.
- Emerson tallied two more points to cut the lead to four at 24-20, but another MacKnight kill wrapped up the 25-20 win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Kittivatcharapong and sophomore Mark Piorkowski (Montclair, N.J.) each registered a team-best nine kills, while freshman Carl D'Aguiar (Tujunga, Calif.) countered for 14 digs and Rusk dished out 34 assists.
- MacKnight ran the Johnson & Wales offense with 13 kills, four digs and hit for .579 and Cameron Ponce recorded 45 assists to match 18 digs and three blocks, while Kanila Chang had 14 kills, served a pair of aces and blocks.
UP NEXT
- Emerson returns home for a rescheduled rematch against No. 12 Lasell at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 30.
- Johnson & Wales will travel to Albertus Magnus on Tuesday, April 4 for a NEWMAC road tilt at 7:00 p.m.
STAY LIVE WITH THE LIONS
