Post-Match Press Conference

HUNTINGDON, Pa. – A tremendous run for the Wentworth Institute of Technology women's volleyball team (23-6) ended Thursday as the Leopards suffered a 3-0 loss to the Springfield Pride (27-4) in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Tournament.

The match marked an end to the tie of the program-high 15-match win streak Wentworth was on, with the last triumph being earning their first Commonwealth Coast Conference championship since 2018.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The two teams traded points to begin the first set, working the score to seven-all with kills coming from junior Ema Thompson (Lewiston, Idaho), freshman Kate McLane (Columbus, Ohio), freshman Emma Sanders (Mount Pleasant, S.C.), and sophomore Riley Schoonmaker (Montgomery, N.Y.). A kill by Schoonmaker gave the Leopards an 8-7 edge before Springfield regained a lead at 13-11. A kill by McLane later cut the deficit to 16-15 before a kill by Sanders and service ace by sophomore Amanda Zweifler (Jersey City, N.J.) tied the set at 19-all. Another service ace by Zweifler gave Wentworth a 20-19 edge before Springfield rallied to take a 25-23 set win.
• Two kills by Sanders and one apiece for McLane and graduate student Riley Waggoner (Simi Valley, Calif.) gave the Leopards a 4-1 to start the second set before Springfield rattled off ten of the next 11 points to take an 11-5 advantage. The Pride later worked up the score to 18-9 before Wentworth started chipping away at the deficit, as two kills by McLane and another by Waggoner cut the deficit to 19-15. A kill by Thompson kept the Leopards alive in a 24-18 score but Springfield finished the set with a 25-18 set win.
• The two teams swapped scores open the third set before, behind 7-5, a kill by McLane kickstarted a 4-0 lead to give Wentworth a 9-7 advantage. Springfield clawed back, tying the score at ten-all, before later taking a 15-12 lead. Behind 17-14, a McLane kill cut the deficit to two before a kill by Waggoner later cut the deficit to 21-17. The Pride rattled off four-straight to grab a 25-17 set win and a 3-0 match win.
   

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