GENEVA, N.Y. – 31 combined kills across two matches by senior Jacob LaBouliere (Pipersville, Pa.) helped pace the top-ranked Wentworth Institute of Technology (11-0) to their tenth and eleventh straight wins to begin the season, respectively, sweeping No. 18-ranked Baldwin Wallace (5-4) and Hobart (10-4) in straight sets at the Statesmen Volleyball Classic Saturday afternoon.

The two wins now prop the Leopards to a record-setting eleven straight wins to open the 2024 season.

MATCH ONE: WENTWORTH 3, BALDWIN WALLACE 0

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• After the Yellowjackets raced out to a 4-2 lead in the first set, the Leopards took a 6-4 lead on four straight kills by senior Jacob LaBouliere (Pipersville, Pa.). A kill by sophomore Nicolai Bell (Moraga, Calif.) pushed the lead to 10-7 before three straight kills by LaBouliere followed by others from Bell and senior Jacob Waga (East Northport, N.Y.) later continued the advantage to 18-9. A service ace by junior Josh Milke (Eastampton, N.J.), a kill by LaBouliere, and a handful of errors earned Wentworth a 25-12 set win.
• Kills by LaBouliere and sophomore Benjamin Moughon (Mercer Island, Wash.) got Wentworth out to a 3-1 lead in the second set before a kill by graduate student Brandon Dunz (Lake View, N.Y.) pushed the lead to 5-3. Back-to-back kills by LaBouliere and Moughon continued the advantage to 11-7 before kills by LaBouliere and Waga marked a 14-9 score. Errors filled the majority of the rest of the set, with the Leopards holding the lead for a 25-17 set win thanks to final kills by Dunz and Waga.
• A kill by Dunz gave Wentworth a 4-3 edge in the third set before another later continued the lead to 8-6. A string of kills by LaBouliere, Bell, and Waga extended Wentworth's lead to 15-9 before a service ace by senior Tyler Jack (San Jose, Calif.) marked a 18-10 lead. Kills by Dunz and Waga helped Wentworth hold off the Yellowjackets for a 25-19 set win.

SERIES NOTES:

• The second all-time meeting between the two teams, Wentworth leads the series, 2-0.

MATCH TWO: WENTWORTH 3, HOBART 0

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• After being behind 3-1 in the first set, two service aces by Waga rallied Wentworth to hold a 5-3 lead before the Statesmen fought back to hold an 8-5 advantage. The hosts held their three-point advantage for much of the set, working the score to 17-14, before two kills by LaBouliere tied the score at 17-all. Hobart distanced themselves later to a 23-21 lead, but two kills by LaBouliere and another by Moughon helped Wentworth rally yet again, taking a 26-24 win in the opening set.
• The two teams traded points to open the second set, with Wentworth taking a 5-4 edge on a LaBouliere kill. Behind 8-7, a kill and service ace by Dunz paced the Leopards to rally to an 11-8 lead before continuing it to 14-10 on two kills by Moughon. A handful of kills by LaBouliere and others by Bell, Waga, and Dunz gave Wentworth an 11-4 run to end the set on, earning them a 25-14 set win.
• A Waga kill propped the Leopards to a 4-1 lead in the third set before Hobart marched back to grab a 6-5 edge later. Tied at eight aside, a LaBouliere kill helped Wentworth to a 10-8 lead before kills by Waga and Bell pushed the lead to 17-13 later on. Hobart battled back to tie the score at 18-all before the two teams traded scores for multiple sequences, working the set up to a 27-27 knot. Back-to-back kills by LaBouliere proved to be the difference and earned Wentworth a 29-27 set win.

NEXT UP:

• The Black & Gold hop back into conference play Wednesday, hosting rival Lasell.

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