BOSTON, Mass. – The 12th-ranked Emmanuel Saints took care of Wentworth Institute of Technology in four sets on Thursday night in a Colleges of the Fenway rivalry. Wentworth took the opening game, 27-25 and then the Saints rebounded to take the next three handily, 25-15, 25-15 and 25-16. With the win, Emmanuel is now 24-6 overall, while Wentworth dropped to 17-8 on the season.
Game one opened with the two clubs battling to several early ties. A right side swing by Emmanuel's Nick Updike (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) forged a tie at 7-all, before a Wentworth kill by Ross Burdett (Needham, Mass.) gave the visitors a one-point edge. A big hit by Wentworth senior Dan Mulvey (Halifax, Mass.) put the Leopards up 12-10 and forced a Saints' timeout.
Out of the timeout, Emmanuel went on a 4-1 run, featuring huge kills by Updike and Thomas McCaffrey (Massapequa, N.Y.) to take a 14-13 edge. A kill by Keoni Rabaino (Tucson, Ariz.) and an ace by Updike gave EC a two-point cushion at 19-17. The Leopards bounced back and managed to tie things up again at 22-all. Consecutive kills from either side by Updike gave Emmanuel set-point at 24-22, forcing a Wentworth timeout. A 5-1 Leopards' run featured the Saints committing four errors out of the break and Wentworth took set one, 27-25.
Momentum switched to the Saints and Emmanuel charged out to an 8-3 lead to open game two and forced a quick timeout by the Leopards. A Wentworth solo block by Burdett set the score at 17-11, in favor of the hosts. Consecutive aces by Updike stretched the Saints' lead to 21-12. A kill by Curtis Abram (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) and an ace by Cam Todd (Los Angeles, Calif.) gave Emmanuel a 25-15 win in set two.
Three-straight kills by Abram opened set three, but the Leopards recovered nicely, taking advantage of several Emmanuel miscues to take a 10-7 lead early in the game. The Saints battled back to take a 16-14 lead and forced a Wentworth timeout. The Saints rattled off a 5-1 run out of the break, backed by the solid hitting of Updike and the Leopards immediately called for their final timeout, trailing, 21-15. Three-straight aces by Abram and a kill from Rabaino ended set three, 25-15, and EC held a 2-1 match lead.
An Updike ace and a Rabaino kill put the Saints on top, 10-5, in the fourth set. A 7-2 Saints' run then gave Emmanuel a solid 17-8 lead. A huge smash by Updike brought the crowd to its feet and propelled the Saints to a double-figure lead at 19-9. A right side swing by Matt Salvi (Trumbull, Conn.) forced match point and a Wentworth serving error settled the score at 25-16 and Emmanuel took a 3-1 match win
As a team, the Saints hit .420 for the match with 62 kills in 100 attempts. Abram led the Saints with 17 kills, hitting .538 for the match. The senior outside hitter now owns Emmanuel's single season service ace record, as he rattled off a match-high 7 aces tonight. McCaffrey hit .750 with 14 kills in 16 attempts, while collecting 4 blocks. Updike was solid all-around with 12 kills, 6 aces, 4 blocks and 23 assists. Todd finished with 7 kills and 4 blocks. Senior setter Sean O'Connor (Hampstead, N.H.) dished out 32 assists, while Jake DeLuise (Wakefield, R.I) picked up a team-high 11 digs for the Saints.
The Leopards were paced by Burdett's eight kills while senior Lowell Jesmer (Rochester, N.Y.) had seven kills and a pair of blocks. Senior Derek Portugal (Barrington, R.I.) notched six kills , Mulvey added five kills, and freshman Mike Buonincontra (Shelton, Conn.) had five kills and six digs. Sophomore Tyler Moriarty (Wilbraham, Mass.) had 25 assists and four digs.
The 24-6 Saints will host a non-conference tri-match on Saturday. Emmanuel will face Baruch College in the opening match at Noon, before taking on Endicott College in the 4:00 match. Wentworth (17-8) resumes NECVA New England play on Saturday at Elms.
-Portions of This Release Courtesy of Emmanuel Sports Information-
