Box Score
WENHAM, Mass. – Tuesday night was the apex of the season for the Curry and Gordon volleyball teams, as the two squared off to stay alive in the CCC tournament hunt. Both teams were searching for their first conference win of the season and the matchup did not disappoints, as the Scots gutted out a 3-1 win over the visiting Colonels. The Scots won the final two sets of the evening in front of a raucous Bennett Gymnasium crowd in attendance to celebrate Senior Night.
 
 The Scots looked like they would run away with the match early on by going on a 11-4 run to end the first set. Curry forced the Scots into several errors to keep things close at the beginning of the first set, but Gordon's pinpoint precision on attacks at the net made the difference in a 25-18 win.
 
Momentum remained in Gordon's favor well into the second set, with the Scots leading by as many as seven points midway through the game. However, the Colonels slowly chipped away at the Scots' lead little by little to turn a 16-7 deficit into a tie game at 23 points a side.
 
The Colonels' setter Hannah Robison served for the win over the final three points, including a service ace on the final point of the set, completing the furious rally to even the score at one.
 
Gordon regained control of the match in the third set thanks to an excellent stretch of serving by sophomore Jessica Burdick (Brewerton, N.Y.). The outside hitter turned a 14-14 tie into a 22-14 lead with four service aces, while also getting help from her teammates. A block from Jenna Labbadia (Berlin, Conn.) and a kill from Laura Schmidt (Stuart, Fla.) also contributed to the Scots resounding lead in the third set.
 
The Scots won three of the final five points—winning 25-16—to take a one set lead in the match.
 
Gordon trailed for much of the fourth set, but rallied late to take a 24-20 lead. Not to be outdone, the Colonels won the next two points to cut the Scots' lead to two points and forced Gordon to take a timeout on match point.
 
Armed with a set play out of the timeout, the Scots executed the play perfectly finishing with a Schmidt kill off a Lauren Kranyak (Locust Grove, Va.) pass to finish off the match 25-22.
 
Emily Boudreau had six kills and three service aces for the Colonels in the losing effort. Robison chipped in 11 assists, while Alyssa Keeney led the defense with 15 digs on the back line.
 
Six Gordon players contributed at least six kills, which included outstanding efforts from Faith Gerdes (Wall Lake, Iowa), Burdick and honored senior Chelsie Clemens (Santa Barbara, Calif.), who finished with a season high eight kills.
Aside from Burdick's four service aces, Krystal Vander Ark (Santa Barbara, Calif.), Labbadia and Kranyak all added three aces as well.
 
Joy Kimmel (Madison, Conn.) led the Scots with 22 assists, while Kranyak added 17 assists of her own. Freshman libero  Maggie Risma (Hudson, Ohio) dug up 29 balls, which was her second highest total of the year.
 
Gordon looks to stay alive in the CCC race in their regular season finale with Eastern Nazarene in Quincy on Saturday. Curry will also face the Lions this coming Thursday night for the conference closer.