BOSTON, Mass. – Juniors Mike Buonincontra (Shelton, Conn.) and Ross Burdett (Needham, Mass.) and sophomore Rami Akouri (Fall River, Mass.) each recorded seven kills to help the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's volleyball team snap a two-match losing streak with a 3-0 win over Newbury.
The Leopards (5-3) scored the first seven points of the opening game and never looked back, taking a 1-0 lead with a 25-11 win. Wentworth forced the Nighthawks into 10 attack errors and a hitting percentage of -.227. Akouri had two of the Leopards' six opening game kills.
Game two saw a tightly contested affair, with three ties in the early going before the hosts pulled ahead by a 9-6 score. Newbury made a run, but the Black & Gold hit a match-high .226 and won by a 25-18 score. Buonincontra, Burdett, and sophomore Sean Donahue (Lincoln, R.I.) had three kills apiece for Wentworth, while Newbury sophomore Jake Powell (Salinas, Calif.) had four kills for the visitors.
Wentworth closed out the match with a 25-17 win in the third set as the Leopards hit .172 and received three kills apiece from Buonincontra, Burdett, and Akouri.
In addition to his seven kills, Buonincontra had a dozen digs, while freshman Zach Newhouse (Lancaster, Calif.) had 10 digs. As a team Wentworth had eight service aces, with freshman Bill Shimkus leading the way with three and Burdett and senior Tyler Moriarty (Wilbraham, Mass.) serving two each. Moriarty also had 26 assists and Akouri registered four blocks.
The Nighthawks were led by freshman Tyler Sayne (Tucson, Ariz.), who had 10 kills while Powell added nine. Senior Alex Amylon (Scituate, R.I.) had 12 digs.
Wentworth hosts Emerson on Wednesday (Feb. 20) while Newbury (1-4) hosts a tri-match with Daniel Webster and Albertus Magnus.
