BOSTON, Mass.—The ninth-ranked Hobart volleyball team responded well on day two of the Fenway Classic as it swept Emmanuel before taking down Endicott in four sets this afternoon. With the two wins, the Statesmen move to 10-1 on the season, while the Saints fall to 4-3 and the Gulls fall to 1-4 overall.

Graduate student Andrew Kim and sophomore Daniel Sappia led Hobart this afternoon. Kim tallied 25 kills (.255), 16 digs, three assists, two service aces and one solo block this afternoon, while Sappia chipped in 23 kills (.432), 13 digs, three blocks, two assists and two service aces through two matches. Kim's 18-kill and 10-dig performance against Endicott was his second double-double of the season, while Sappia's 12-kill performance against the Gulls was a season-high.

Sophomore Noah DeLong had an impressive day for the Statesmen as he combined for 19 kills (.469), 10 digs, five assists, three service aces and two blocks through two matches. His 10-kill performance against Endicott was a season-high. First-year's Alain Malcolm and Josh Reilly combined for 19 kills out of the middle for Hobart. The duo added four blocks, three service aces and two digs in the wins.

MATCH MOMENTS:
 
Match 1 (Emmanuel):

• Hobart came out hot in set one and tallied a match-high 15 kills (.333) as a team compared to Emmanuel's nine (.250). Sappia led the Statesmen with five kills (.556) to help Hobart to a 25-21 win in set one.
• The Statesmen continued on their momentum into the second set as they combined for 14 kills (.273) and held the Saints to just 10 kills (.207). Hobart found crucial points from the service line as they tallied three aces to extend their lead with a 25-20 win in set two.
• Hobart closed out the sweep with a dominant performance in the third set. The Statesmen combined for 13 kills (.304) as a team and held the Saints to a match-low eight kills (.056). Emmanuel racked up the errors in the third, recording seven hitting errors to hand Hobart a 25-20 win in set three.

Match stats:

• Sappia led the Statesmen with 11 kills, hitting .579 through three sets. DeLong chipped in nine kills (.278), while Kim (.063) and Malcolm added seven kills each in the sweep.
• Sophomore Zack Farren and graduate student Benjamin Lincoln led Hobart from the setter position and tallied 21 and 12 assists each, respectively. Farren added one block and one dig in the win.
• The Statesmen combined for 28 digs as a team and were led by sophomore libero Gavin Meador and Sappia with seven each. Kim added six digs in the sweep for Hobart.
• Hobart held a 5-4 edge in service aces and were led by Malcolm with three against the Saints. Sappia and DeLong chipped in one ace each in the win.

Match 2 (Endicott):

• Despite putting down a match-low nine kills (.500) as a team in the opening set, Hobart found crucial points from its block and from the service line in the opening set. The hitting errors plagued Endicott as it combined for nine errors, handing the Statesmen the opening set 25-13.
• Hobart turned up the heat in the second set and combined for 16 kills (.265) as a team compared to Endicott's 11 (.222). Kim and Sappia combined for 11 kills and a service ace to lead the Statesmen to a 25-20 win in set two.
• The Gulls responded well in the must-win third set and combined for 15 kills (.464) as a team compared to the Statesmen's 14 (.333). Aidan Iacovelli had a big set for Endicott as he put down six kills and recorded one block to lead the Gulls to a 25-20 win in set three to force a fourth set.
• The Statesmen flipped the switch in the fourth set and fired off a match-high 17 kills (.375) while holding the Gulls to a match-low nine (.174). Hobart used a balanced offense and found at least three kills from four different players to close out the match with a 25-18 win in set four.

Match stats:

• Kim led Hobart with 18 kills, hitting .333 through four sets. Sappia chipped in a season-high 12 kills (.320), while DeLong added a season-high 10 kills (.714) in the win.
• Farren and Lincoln once again ran the Hobart offense from the setter position and tallied 23 and 17 assists, respectively. The duo combined for three digs and one kill against the Gulls.
• The Statesmen combined for 42 digs as a team and were led by Meador with a career-high 18. Kim chipped in 10 digs for Hobart, while Sappia added seven in the win.
• Hobart held a 5-3 advantage at the service line and were led by Kim and DeLong with two aces each. Sappia tallied the final ace for the Statesmen.

 COACHES CORNER:

"Finishing the first phase of the season 10-1 is an amazing achievement for this young team," said Head Coach Steve England. "We learned a lot about what it takes to reach the next level this weekend. I am excited to see our improvement over the next couple of weeks."

UP NEXT:
 
Hobart will be back in action Friday, Feb. 7, when it travels to Rochester to take on Manhattanville in a nonconference matchup. Action between the Statesmen and the Valiants is set for 5 p.m.