RSC Drops Both Ends of Saturday Twin-bill

AURORA, N.Y. – Russell Sage College dropped both ends of Saturday's doubleheader at Wells.

McWilliam
March 4, 2023

AURORA, N.Y. –  Russell Sage College dropped both ends of Saturday's doubleheader at Wells.

The Express swept the opener (25-22, 25-20, 25-23).

Senior opposite Elijah Tortorici (Clifton Park, NY/Mohonasen) paced RSC with ten kills on .318 hitting, four aces, and seven digs.

Sophomore setter/outside hitter Jack McWilliam (Fishkill, NY/Arlington) added five kills and nine digs, while setter Ryan Jennings (North Brunswick, NJ/North Brunswick Township), a graduate student, passed out 23 assists.

Sophomore middle hitter Confidence Burrowes topped Wells (2-10) with 10 kills and three aces in the first game.

The Gators were edged 3-2 in the nightcap.

Junior opposite Wylkins Occelin (Brooklyn, NY/John Dewey) and McWilliam each registered double-doubles. Occelin tallied 11 kills and 16 digs, while McWilliam recorded 10 kills and 12 digs.  The duo were part of a group of four RSC players to total eight or more kills in the second game of the day.

Wells received double-digit kills from three players to complete the sweep of the twin-bill.  Burrowes finished off 14 rallies to lead the trio.

Tortorici totaled 18 kills, 13 digs, seven aces, and two blocks on the afternoon. Occelin recorded 16 kills, McWilliam added 15 kills and 21 digs, while Jennings totaled a combined 57 assists.

RSC (3-16) plays next on Tuesday at 7:00 pm at Colby-Sawyer.

Notes: The Gators are in their second spring with Reid Hartl at the helm…He guided RSC to a spot in the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Championship Tournament in his debut campaign…Seven players returned from the squad…The Gators were picked to finish seventh in the conference by the member coaches…Setter Ryan Jennings (North Brunswick, NJ/North Brunswick Township), a graduate student, and middle hitter Andrew Samson (Queens, NY/Pathways), both graduate students, were voted co-captains…Jennings began the season with 2,157 career assists, second-most by a Gator…Kyle Ray '13 holds the program record with 2,910 career assists…Four newcomers, two from New York, one from Colorado, and another from Texas, joined the program in 2023.

Save the Date: The 18th annual Gator Golf Classic will be held on Friday, June 2 at Colonie Golf and Country Club.

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