BOSTON, Mass. – The freshman duo of Emma Sanders (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) (16 kills, 16 digs) and Kate McLane (Columbus, Ohio) (15, 9) played a pivotal role in guiding the Wentworth Institute of Technology women's volleyball team (22-5, 8-0 CCC) to a four-set win over the Suffolk Rams (16-15, 4-4 CCC) in the semifinal round of Commonwealth Coast Conference Tournament.

With the win, the Black & Gold advance to the CCC Championship for the second time since 2018 in which they captured the championship crown.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Wentworth set out to a 2-0 lead thanks to a kill from Sanders and a service ace by McLane. A kill by junior Ema Thompson (Lewiston, Idaho) pushed the lead to 6-3 before kills by McLane and sophomore Riley Schoonmaker (Montgomery, N.Y.) continued the lead to 10-5. Another kill by Thompson continued the lead to 17-11 before a kill by McLane helped pushed the advantage to 20-13. A kill by Thompson helped cap Wentworth's first set win, 25-19.
• The Leopards rattled off nine straight points to open the second set, including two on kills by McLane and Sanders. After Suffolk cut the deficit to 11-4, two service aces by sophomore Amanda Zweifler (Jersey City, N.J.) and two kills by Sanders paced the Leopards to a 16-4 lead. Three kills by McLane in four sequences time separated the Leopards even more in a 22-11 score before they grabbed a 25-16 lead.
• Wentworth scored five straight points to start the third set, with three coming on two kills by Sanders and a kill by graduate student Riley Waggoner (Simi Valley, Calif.). The two teams traded points for much of the way after, working the score to 10-8 in favor of the Leopards. A kill by Thompson later stretched the Leopards' lead to 16-13 before the Rams took hold of a 18-17 lead, and eventually, a 23-18 advantage. The Rams won the third set, 25-18, to cut the match deficit to 2-1.
• The hosts pushed themselves to an 8-2 advantage to open the fourth set, with points coming on kills by Sanders, McLane, and Thompson. A kill by Schoonmaker later pushed the lead to 11-4 before two kills by McLane helped continue the advantage to 15-5. After a push back by the Rams, forcing a 15-10 score, the Leopards rattled off seven straight points, with four on kills by Sanders, to take a 22-10 lead. A block by Schoonmaker and Sanders gave Wentworth a 25-13 set win and a 3-1 match lead.
  

NEXT UP:

• The Leopards will square off with Endicott in the CCC Championship Saturday at 12:00 p.m in Tansey Gym.

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