The Wentworth Institute of Technology men's volleyball team picked up two conference wins Saturday, March 19, first defeating Dean College 3-0, then winning against Elms College in another straight set match.
The Leopards took the first four points of the match, as freshman Nick Cebula (West Springfield, Mass) and senior Drew Potter (Towson, Md) picked up kills, and freshman Josh Milke (Eastampton, N.J.) added a service ace. An ace by Potter combined with a kill from freshman Dave Arellanes (North Aurora, Ill.) extended the lead to 6-1, but the Bulldogs came back to win five of the next seven points to pull to within two points at an 8-6 score. Wentworth then took control of the opening set, going on a 10-1 run to break it open. Freshman Sam Etter (Massillon, Ohio) had three aces during the stretch, while Potter and freshman Nick Cebula (West Springfield, Mass) each added one kill. The run gave the Leopards an 11-point lead, but Dean took five of the next six. With Wentworth holding a 19-12 lead, two kills by Arellanes, as well as one from Etter and a pair of aces by Potter and freshman Alek Reymond (Chittenango, N.Y.) finished off the opening set as the Leopards closed it out with a 25-13 win.
After taking the first two points of the middle set, Wentworth dropped three straight and fell behind by one. The Leopards dominated from that point on, winning 11 of the next 12 points to take a 13-4 lead. Potter had one kill and three aces, while four other players picked up kills for Wentworth during the span. Etter had three finishers and Arellanes had two, while Cebula and Reymond added one apiece. A kill and ace by Etter, combined with a kill from freshman Eli Sleasman (Albany, N.Y.) extended it to a 14-point advantage for the Leopards, while an ace and kill from Cebula helped finish off a 25-11 decision in set two.
Wentworth kept it up in the third, winning six consecutive points after dropping the first of the set. Milke came through with two service aces, while Arellanes added two finishers. After a kill from the Bulldogs, the Leopards took another nine straight points to go ahead 15-2 in the third. Potter added three more aces and one kill, while Etter had two more kills. Etter later added three straight aces of his own, while Sleasman picked up one ace. Kills by Potter and Milke helped to put the finishing touches on a convincing 25-7 victory in the third set, giving the Leopards the victory.
Arellanes led all players with 11 kills, while Etter picked up eight. Milke led the way with 18 assists and seven digs, while Potter added seven digs as well. Potter also added eight aces, with Etter picking up seven.
Wentworth 3, Elms 0
The Blazers took a 3-2 lead the start off the first, but a pair of kills from sophomore Jacob LaBouliere (Pipersville, Pa.) sparked four straight points for the Leopards, who took a two point lead at 6-4. LaBouliere, junior Colin Stockton (Hummelstown, Pa.), and junior Alex McLane (Columbus, Ohio) all subsequently picked up one kill apiece, but Elms fought their way back and after back-to-back points tied the set at 11. Two kills each from LaBouliere and junior Hunter Oshman (Pennington, N.J.) put Wentworth ahead 15-12, but the Blazers came back to win the next four points, including an ace and kill by Carlos Mercado (Barranquitas, P.R.) and took a one-point lead. Oshman then came through for the Leopards, putting down three kills as part of five unanswered points for Wentworth, who went ahead 20-16. Three more points for Elms brought them to within one point once again, but two more kills by Oshman, as well as one by graduate student David Marsh (Springfield, Mass.) finished off the first set for Wentworth, who took a 25-21 victory in the opener.
The Leopards had a flawless start to the second set, winning the first nine points. Stockton and Oshman each had two kills, while LaBouliere added a service ace. However, Luis Martinez (Bayamon, P.R.) got Elms back in the set with two straight kills, as the Blazers won five straight to make it a 9-5 score. But two kills by junior Alex McLane (Columbus, Ohio), combined with one kill and an ace by Oshman, sparked a 6-1 run that gave Wentworth a nine-point advantage. Two kills by LaBouliere stretched the lead to 19-9, while two finishers from McLane created 11 points of separation. McLane added one more kill in the final moments, finishing off the second set with a 25-14 decision as the Leopards went up 2-0 in the match.
LaBouliere had two early kills for Wentworth in the third, while each added one as the Leopards took a 4-3 lead. A kill and ace by Mercado were part of a 4-1 run for the Blazers, who held a 7-5 lead. A kill by Oshman tied the set at seven, but two more points for Elms put the ahead once again. Kills by Stockton and Oshman got Wentworth within one point at 11-10, and a kill by Marsh combined with an attack error by the Blazers evened the score at 12. Two kills by LaBouliere and one by Oshman put the Leopards ahead at 16-15, but Elms took three of the next four points, going ahead 18-16 as the teams traded the lead. Oshman then racked up one kill and one service ace, putting Wentworth ahead. The Blazers came back to tie it at 20, but two kills by LaBouliere and an Elms attack error gave the Leopards a 23-22 lead. After a Wentworth error tied the set, Oshman closed things out with two consecutive kills as the Leopards took the third by a 25-23 score to finish the match.
Oshman led Wentworth with 19 kills, while Adams had 41 assists. Senior Phoenix Stebbins (Harrisburg, Pa.) had 13 digs for the Leopards, leading the team.
THE SERIES:
Wentworth and Dean faced off for the first time today, while the Leopards now hold a 14-4 record against Elms.
NEXT UP:
The Leopards travel to Beverly, Mass. Tuesday, March 22 for a 7:00 p.m. matchup at Endicott College.
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