BOSTON, Mass. – The Emmanuel men's volleyball team clinched the No. 2 spot in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) standings with a 3-0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-20) win over Wentworth Institute of Technology of Tuesday night. The victory in Emmanuel's Jean Yawkey Center stretched the Saints win streak to six matches and marked Emmanuel's sixth-straight 3-0 sweep. The Saints improved to 13-9 on the season and 11-2 in the GNAC with the win, while Wentworth dropped to 12-13 overall and 6-5 in the league.
The Saints held a solid lead throughout the opening set, utilizing a balanced offense attack. A kill by senior middle Tom McCaffrey (Massapequa, N.Y.) put the Saints up 10-7 and sparked a 5-1 Emmanuel run. A winner from freshman Zach Whitermore (Whitehall, Pa.) capped the run and the hosts held a 14-8 lead. A swing by Wentworth freshman Rami Akouri (Fall River, Mass.) brought the Leopards into double-figures, trailing, 16-10.
Junior setter Nick Updike (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) played a huge role in the Saints' first-set attack, slamming down three kills late in the game. A solo block by McCaffrey forced set point at 24-15 and freshman outside Ashanti Jackson (Sacramento, Calif.) ended it with a monster swing from the left side. Collectively, the Saints hit .440 in the opening set with 15 kills in 25 attacks.
Emmanuel got off to a slow start in set two and a kill by Wentworth setter Mike Buonincontra (Shelton, Conn.) gave the Leopards their first lead of the match at 7-6. Kills by Whitermore then put the Saints back on top at 9-8 and 11-10, before a Wentworth winner by Brian Mann (East Freetown, Mass.) forged a tie at 11-all. Both team struggled offensively in the set, with Emmanuel hitting .125 and Wentworth hitting .000 with 6 kills and 6 errors in 19 attempts. Consecutive kills by Updike forced set point and Jackson finished it off again with a huge swing as Emmanuel took game two, 25-19.
An assisted block from McCaffrey and Updike gave Emmanuel an 11-8 lead in the third, but a kill by Akouri set the score at 13-10. The Leopards then went on a 4-2 run, capped by a service ace from Buonincontra and Wentworth trailed by one, 15-14. Consecutive Emmanuel miscues, including a ball handling error and a rotation error gave the Leopards a 16-15 edge. But the Saints would then go on a 5-0 run, which included consecutive slams by Whitermore and Emmanuel surged out in front, 20-16.
A left side swing by senior captain Michael Mottola (Quincy, Mass.) put the hosts out in front, 23-18, before Wentworth hitting and serving errors ended the match with Emmanuel taking a 25-20 win in set three.
Whitermore led the Saints with 11 kills. Updike filled the stats line, tallying 7 kills in 9 swings, while dishing out a match-high 24 assists and collecting 6 digs and 5 blocks. Jackson finished with 5 kills and 6 digs, while McCaffrey chipped in with 4 kills and 6 blocks.
Wentworth got 7 kills from Mann and Ross Burdett (Needham, Mass.). Burdett led the back row with 6 digs, while Buonincontra dished out a team-high 16 assists for the Leopards.
Emmanuel is back in action tomorrow, as the Saints play in their final regular season home match, taking on the Falcons of Albertus Magnus College in a 7:00 p.m. start. Wentworth will host defending GNAC Champion and 12th-ranked Rivier College on Thursday night in a 7:00 p.m. start.
(Release Courtesy of Emmanuel Sports Information)
