BOSTON, Mass. – Freshman Glen Johnson (Newington, Conn.) tallied 19 kills and three blocks to pace the Albertus Magnus men's volleyball team to a 3-1 win over Wentworth in an opening round match of the 2012 Great Northeast Athletic Conference Men's Volleyball Tournament.
With the win the Falcons improve to 19-8 and travel to top-seeded Rivier on Thursday for one semifinal match.
Wentworth took a 1-0 lead in the match thanks to a 25-22 win in the opening game. Sophomore Brian Mann (East Freetown, Mass.), freshman Nate Perry (New Bedford, Mass.), and sophomore Ross Burdett (Needham, Mass.) recorded four kills apiece to pace the Leopards, while Johnson had six of his team's 16 kills.
The Falcons evened the match at a game apiece after taking a 25-21 victory in the second game, a game that saw seven ties and four lead changes. Johnson and sophomore Chris Pfeffer (Torrington, Conn.) had four kills apiece in the second game for Albertus, while Burdett had five for the Leopards.
Albertus Magnus committed just three errors on 32 swings in the third game and took a 2-1 lead with a 25-16 win. Johnson had five kills on six swings, while classmate Chase Brinton (Bethany, Conn.) added five kills on seven swings. Perry had three of Wentworth's six kills in the game.
Neither team would gain the early advantage of a back and forth fourth game, however the Falcons used a 6-2 run to take a 19-14 lead. Wentworth battled back and pulled within one twice, including at 22-21. The Leopards staved off match point at 24-23 and would score the next two points to set up match point at 25-24. However, Albertus scored three straight points to close out the match with a 27-25 win.
Sophomore Brendan Charmut (Southington, Conn.).), who had five kills in the fourth game, finished with 16 kills, while Brinton added 14 and Pfeffer 10. Sophomore Carlos Torres (Maspeth, N.Y.) had 27 assists and 14 digs in the win with classmate Douglas DeSousa (Danbury, Conn.) contributing 18 digs.
Perry and Burdett recorded 15 kills for the Black & Gold while Mann and freshman Rami Akouri (Fall River, Mass.) had four and three blocks, respectively. Sophomore Mike Buonincontra (Shelton, Conn.) had 34 assists and 13 digs with junior Rick Pignataro (Wilbraham, Mass.) contributing 13 digs.
Under the direction of first-year head coach Evin Giglio, Wentworth finishes with a 13-16 record.
