CHICOPEE, Mass. – In its final two non-conference matches of the 2012 season, the Wentworth men's volleyball team split a pair of matches at Elms College, defeating Regis 3-0 and falling to the host Blazers, 3-2.
Hitting a blistering .545 in the opening game the Leopards set the tone for the sweep by claiming a 25-13 win. Sophomore Ross Burdett (Needham, Mass,) had for kills, while classmate Brian Mann (East Freetown, Mass.) had three kills and junior Rick Pignataro (Wilbraham, Mass.) recorded six digs.
Wentworth, which would hold Regis to a -.192 attack percentage for the match, would win the next two games by identical, 25-8 scores to complete the sweep.
Burdett and Brian Mann recorded nine and eight kills, respectively, while Rick Pignataro (Wilbraham, Mass.) amassed eight digs in the win. Sophomore Mike Buonincontra (Shelton, Conn.) had 26 assists.
For Regis, Andrew Carroll (Natick, Mass.) finished with four kills, while David Amicangioli (Belmont, Mass.) registered 10 assists.
The Leopards built on the momentum it gained in the opening match and took the first game against Elms by a 25-18 score, thanks in part to a .346 attack percentage and three kills apiece from Burdett and junior Tyler Moriarty (Wilbraham, Mass.).
However, Elms, which had defeated Regis, 3-0, in the day's first match, battled back to take a 25-17 win in the second game after hitting .333 and holding Wentworth to a .050 attack percentage. Burdett and Buonincontra had three kills apiece in the game.
Wentworth took a 2-1 lead after hitting a match-high .429 and taking a 25-22 win in the third game., thanks to a balanced offensive attack and two blocks apiece from Buonincontra and freshman Israel Shaw (New Ipswich, N.H.).
The Blazers evened the match with a 25-19 win in the fourth game – despite a four-kill effort from Burdett – and took a 15-12 win in the fifth and deciding frame.
The Leopards were led by Burdett's 15 kills, while freshman Rami Akouri (Fall River, Mass.) followed with eight. Moriarty added 33 assists and 10 digs, while Pignataro secured a match-best 13 digs. Mann and Buonincontra had six and five blocks, respectively, while Shaw recorded four blocks for the Black & Gold, who sit at 12-12 and travel to Emmanuel Tuesday night.
Elms was led by sophomore Daniel Lebron (San Juan, Puerto Rico) who handed out 51 assists. Four players recorded double-digit kills in the win, led by freshman Angel Castro (Carolina, Puerto Rico) who had a match-high 16 kills followed by junior Stephen Cameron's (Newington, Conn.) 14. Sophomore Bryson Rainey (Brookline, Mass.) and senior Carlos DeLeon (Carolina, Puerto Rico) tallied 12 and 10 kills respectively.
(Portions of This Release Courtesy of Elms Sports Information)
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