BOSTON, Mass. – After being down 2-0 in their season-opening match, the Wentworth Institute of Technology women's volleyball team (1-0) mounted a thrilling comeback propped by 31 combined kills from the freshman duo of Emma Sanders (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) and Kate McLane (Columbus, Ohio). The Leopards took down the visiting Simmons Sharks (0-1), 3-2.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• After going down 1-0 in the first set, freshman Emma Sanders (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) knotted the score for Wentworth with her first kill of the night. Graduate student Riley Waggoner (Simi Valley, Calif.) and freshman Riley Schoonmaker (Montgomery, N.Y.) notched back-to-back kills to give the hosts a 5-3 lead. After a Schoonmaker kill marked a 10-7 lead, Simmons marched back to take a commanding 15-11 advantage. Despite two kills down the stretch from freshman Kate McLane (Columbus, Ohio), Simmons held on narrowly to grab a 25-22 set win.
• The two teams traded points to start the second set before two kills from Sanders helped the Leopards break away and lead, 7-4. The Sharks came back to force a 10-10 tie before a Waggoner kill gave the Leopards the edge at 11-10. Simmons pulled away from Wentworth later in the set, holding a 17-14 lead, until a Sanders kill dwindled the deficit to two. The Sharks extended their lead back, taking a 25-19 set win and a 2-0 match lead.
• After the Sharks took a 6-3 lead in the third set, two service aces by Sanders helped Wentworth tie the score at six apiece. The two teams worked up the score by trading points, with the Leopards eventually tying the score at 17 apiece thanks to a kill by junior Ema Thompson (Lewiston, Idaho). Two kills from McLane and Sanders later gave the Leopards a 22-19 advantage before a Schoonmaker kill gave the hosts a 25-19 set win, cutting the match to 2-1.
• The Sharks set out to a 5-2 lead in the fourth set before a kill by Sanders cut the deficit to two. Tied at seven apiece later, Simmons separated themselves, grabbing 15-9, 16-10, and 19-11 leads. A string of consecutive kills from Waggoner, Thompson, and Sanders brought the hosts back in a 19-14 score before the Black & Gold eventually knotted things up at 21 points for each side. Kills from McLane and Waggoner gave Wentworth a 23-22 lead before two errors later gave the Leopards a 26-24 set win, tying the match at two apiece.
• Wentworth carried their momentum into the deciding fifth set, taking a commanding 9-2 lead thanks to kills from Thompson, Sanders, and Waggoner. Simmons battled back to a 13-9 score that was followed by a kill from McLane. One final kill from McLane gave Wentworth a 15-12 set win and a 3-2 comeback victory.

SERIES NOTES:

• The Leopards lead the all-time series, 15-9.

NEXT UP:

• Wentworth is right back at it with a busy Saturday, playing host to WPI (11:00 a.m.) and Elms (3:00 p.m.) in a tri-match tomorrow.

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