NASHUA, N.H. – The Rivier men's volleyball team was swept by non-conference opponents, Endicott, Tuesday evening at the Muldoon Center.

With the loss, the Raiders fell to 6-7, while the Gulls, who are receiving votes in the AVCA Division III Men's Volleyball Poll, improved to 4-3.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Endicott opened the first set with a 6-3 lead before kills from sophomore Cade Barron helped Rivier close the gap, 12-10. A service ace from first-year Luis Cruz tied the score at 17-17, and a kill from senior Matthew McCloskey evened the frame again at 20-20. After a Barron kill made it 21-22, the Gulls scored three of the final four points to secure the 25-22 set victory.
• In the second set, junior Tyler Dickinson recorded two early kills as the Raiders kept it close, 6-5. A block by sophomore Cody Fitzpatrick and Dickinson cut the deficit to 14-12 and a later kill off the hands of Fitzpatrick tied the score at 20-20. Endicott responded with a service ace and closed the set with three of the final four points to earn another 25-22 decision and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
• The Gulls began the third set with a 6-1 advantage. Rivier tied up the third set, 7-7 following a Barron service ace. Dickinson and Barron added multiple kills midway through the set, and a Dickinson kill later made it 19-13 in favor of Endicott. The Gulls closed the match on a 6-4 stretch to take the set 25-18 and complete the sweep.

BOX SCORE BREAKDOWN

• Barron led the offense with 10 kills and a .500 hitting percentage.
• The middle pairing of Dickinson and McCloskey followed close behind with seven and four kills, respectively.
• Junior Justin Barish dished out 17 assists.
• Junior Libero Joseph Cruz finished with a team-high six digs.

UP NEXT
The Raiders return to the court Wednesday, Feb. 18 for their Great Northeast Athletic Conference opener against No. 11 Wentworth. The opening serve is set for 7:00 p.m. at the Tansey Gymnasium.