BOSTON, Mass. – Junior Ross Burdett (Needham, Mass.) recorded 11 kills and nine digs to help pace the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's volleyball team to a 3-0 win over crosstown rival Emerson in Great Northeast Athletic Conference play.
The win, Wentworth's second in a row, improves the Leopards' record to 6-3 overall and 1-0 in league play. Emerson falls to 5-8 (0-3).
Wentworth got off to a fast start, taking an 8-3 lead, with five of the Leopards' first eight points coming by way of Emerson errors. The Lions would come within four at 17-13, however would get no closer as the Leopards took the first game by a 25-17 score. Junior Brian Mann (East Freetown, Mass.) had four of Wentworth's 12 kills in the opening frame with classmate Mike Buonincontra (Shelton, Conn.) and sophomore Rami Akouri (Fall River, Mass.) anchoring the defense with five digs and three blocks, respectively.
A pair of kills apiece from Burdett and Akouri, combined with three Emerson errors helped Wentworth take an 8-3 lead in the early stages of the second game. The Lions would again come as close as four, but an 8-3 Leopard run would distance themselves from Emerson and would take a 2-0 lead with a 25-16 win. The Black & Gold had match highs of 14 kills and an attack percentage of .375 as Burdett had five kills and Akouri added four of his own.
In the third game the Leopards jumped out to a 6-0 lead and never looked back, holding Emerson to a -.034 attack percentage and completing the sweep with a 25-17 win. Sophomore Sean Donahue (Lincoln, R.I.), Burdett, and Mann had three kills apiece, while senior Tyler Moriarty (Wilbraham, Mass.) had four service aces.
Mann and Donahue finished with eight and seven kills, respectively, with Donahue also recorded a pair of blocks. Akouri had a six-kill, four-block performance and Buonincontra finished with eight digs. Moriarty recorded four aces, 30 assists, and 10 digs in the win.
Freshmen Alex Frapech (Woodland Hills, Calif.) and Jackson Willey (Los Angeles, Calif.) had 10 and nine kills, respectively, for Emerson.
Wentworth travels to top-ranked Springfield on Friday night for a 6:00 match.
