BOSTON, Mass. – Junior outside hitter Ashanti Jackson (Sacramento, Calif.) slammed down a season-high 19 kills and hit .400 to lead the host Emmanuel College Saints to a 3-2 (25-17, 22-25, 23-25, 25-19, 15-12) victory over Wentworth Institute of Technology. The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) battle and Colleges of the Fenway rivalry was played in Emmanuel's Jean Yawkey Center on Thursday night.

With the conference win, Emmanuel now stands at 10-8 on the season and 5-2 in GNAC play. Wentworth falls to 15-7 overall and 4-2 in the league.

Consecutive kills by Jackson early in the first set helped Emmanuel out to a 6-3 lead. A pair of kills by Wentworth's Sam Pisker (Mullica Hill, N.J.) and a strong swing from the left side by Ross Burdett (Needham, Mass.) kept things close for Wentworth in the early going. A Jake Reed (Arvada, Colo.) kill trimmed the Leopards' deficit to five points late in the set and an Emmanuel hitting error brought the score at 21-17. Jackson and classmate Zach Whitermore (Whitehall, Pa.) then found the floor to bring the spread to 23-17. Late Wentworth errors ended any hopes for the Leopards and the Saints took set one, 25-17.

The second set was played closely throughout. Following a tie at 17-all off of Brian Mann's (East Freetown, Mass.) kill, Pisker served up a pair of aces to push the visitors out in front by two. The Saints then went on a late 3-0 run, backed by strong swings from Jackson, but Wentworth's front line proved too tough in the second set and the Leopards hung on for the 25-22 win, tying the match at 1-1.

The Saints were forced to call a quick timeout in the third set, after a kill by Pisker put WIT out in front, 6-5. The Leopards poured it on coming out of the timeout, jumping out in front 10-5 before the Saints began to battle back. Burdett and Jackson exchanged huge kills on either side of the net and Emmanuel trailed, 11-8. Wentworth stretched its lead to as many as seven points twice late in the set. A kill by Mann set the score at 23-16, before the Saints went on a 6-2 run. Emmanuel was able to pull to within one at 24-23, but an attack error by the hosts handed set three over to Wentworth, 25-23.

The fourth set featured early ties at 7, 12 and 14, before the Saints went on a huge 9-1 run, capped with a kill by Ryan Kessler (Santa Clarita, Calif.), which brought the set to 23-15. The Leopards would manage four more points before it was over, including a kill by Reed. EC junior Wyatt Cooper (Ridgefield, Conn.) put one down from the middle, which ended it at 25-19 and forced a fifth and deciding set.

Game five featured seven ties with the last one coming at 9-all after a Jackson kill. The junior captain then exploded for three more kills over the final six Emmanuel points to power the Saints to the 15-12 set five win and the 3-2 match victory.

Jackson added 9 digs and 3 assisted blocks to his solid stat line. Whitermore finished with 8 kills and 6 digs, while Kessler and Cooper chipped in with 7 kills apiece. Sophomore middle Garrett McGarry (Chicago, Ill.) ended the night with a career-high 11 blocks (2 solo and 9 assisted). Junior setter Sean Baxley (Saint James, N.Y.) dished out 43 assists and collected 4 block assists. Sophomore libero Ernie Gurule (Los Angeles, Calif.) led the Saints' defense with 13 digs.

Wentworth had a balanced offensive attack with four players hitting in double-figures, led by Burdett's 13 kills. Mann and Reed finished with 11 kills apiece and Pisker added 10 kills and 4 aces. Reed led the Leopards' backrow with 13 digs, while Collin Riter (Feeding Hills, Mass.) handed out a match-high 46 assists.

The Saints return to GNAC action this weekend, when they travel to New Haven, Conn. for a tri-match with Albertus Magnus College and Rivier University on Sunday. Wentworth will take on Johnson & Wales University and Emerson College in the GNAC tri-match on Saturday.

(Recap courtesy of Emmanuel sports information)