BOSTON, Mass. – With victories over Regis (10-18, 5-9 GNAC) and Rivier (17-13, 10-4 GNAC) Saturday, the No. 3-ranked Wentworth Institute of Technology men's volleyball team (28-1, 13-1 GNAC) wrapped up their most dominant regular season in program history by clinching the number one seed in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference.
With the two wins, Wentworth clinches a first-round bye in the upcoming GNAC Tournament and will host a semifinal matchup on Thursday night.
Prior to today's tri-match, the Leopards honored seniors Jacob LaBouliere (Pipersville, Pa.), Tyler Jack (San Jose, Calif.), Anthony Krzykowski (Feeding Hills, Mass.), Jacob Waga (East Northport, N.Y.), and graduate student Brandon Dunz (Lake View, N.Y.).
MATCH ONE: WENTWORTH 3, REGIS 0
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- A kill by LaBouliere marked a 4-1 lead for the hosts in the first set before kills by Dunz and Jack extended the lead to 9-3. The Leopards closed the set on a 16-3 run that included five service aces by Waga to take the set with ease, 25-6.
- Errors plagued the Pride, marking a 5-0 score in the second set, before a kill apiece by Dunz and Jack marked 7-1 score. Regis found back, until two kills from junior Ryan Roller (West Hartford, Conn.) later marked a 16-12 lead. Wentworth outpaced the Pride the rest of the way, grabbing a 25-18 set win.
- A kill by Roller marked a 3-2 edge for the hosts in the third frame before kills by Jack and sophomore Benjamin Moughon (Mercer Island, Wash.) expedited the advantage to 14-5. Errors plagued the Pride for much of the later going, giving Wentworth a 25-12 set win.
SERIES NOTES:
- Wentworth is a perfect 20-0 against Regis all-time.
MATCH TWO: WENTWORTH 3, RIVIER 0
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The two teams traded kills in the opening set with two LaBouliere kills knotting the score at eight-all. Two service aces by Waga helped separate the Leopards in a 16-12 lead before two kills by LaBouliere marked a 19-15 advantage. Two kills by Dunz and another by Waga helped the Leopards earn a 25-19 set win.
- Two kills by LaBouliere and another by Dunz pushed the Leopards' lead to 5-1 in the second set before two service aces by Waga helped extend the lead to 11-3. Two service aces by Jack and kills by LaBouliere and junior Josh Milke (Eastampton, N.J.) pushed Wentworth's lead to 19-5 before kills by Dunz, LaBouliere, and sophomore Nicolai Bell (Moraga, Calif.) eventually earned the Leopards a 25-12 set win.
- Rivier jumped out to an 8-3 advantage in the third set before the Leopards eventually clawed back, tying the match at 14-all on a service ace by Roller before taking a 17-14 lead on two more tacked on with a LaBouliere kill. From there, the Raiders fought back to take a 23-21 lead before a LaBouliere kill marked a 25-24 edge for the hosts. The two teams swapped scores, working the score up to 31 aside, before a service ace by junior Sam Etter (Massillon, Ohio) helped the Leopards take a 33-31 set win.
SERIES NOTES:
- The Leopards have taken six straight matches versus the Raiders.
NEXT UP:
- Wentworth hosts a GNAC semifinal match on Thursday.
For the latest on Wentworth Athletics, follow the Leopards via social media on "X," Facebook and Instagram.
