SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Top-ranked Springfield College hit .439 as a team as the Pride cruised to a 3-0 win over Wentworth in non-conference action at Blake Arena.
The Pride, which had beaten Elms by an identical 3-0 score earlier in the day, hit an impressive .400 in the opening set, taking a 25-17 decision. Senior Evan Acanfora (Lakeview, N.Y.) had six of his team's 15 kills in the opening frame. Sophomore Rami Akouri (Fall River, Mass.) and junior Brian Mann (East Freetown, Mass.) each had three blocks for the Leopards.
Acanfora and sophomore Jason Mascoe (Uniondale, N.Y.) combined for seven kills in the second game, en route to helping Springfield take a 2-0 lead with a 25-18 win. Junior Ross Burdett (Needham, Mass.) had five of Wentworth's 11 kills in the game.
Springfield hit .632 in the third game – recording 12 kills on 19 attempts without making an error – completing the sweep with a 25-18 win. Acanfora and freshman Eric Brawn (Brockport, N.Y.) had three kills apiece for the Pride, while Burdett had seven kills and freshman Zach Newhouse (Lancaster, Calif.) had four digs.
The Pride was led by Acanfora's 12 kills, while Mascoe had four blocks and freshman Eric Johnson (Tustin, Calif.) had 32 assists.
Burdett finished with 14 kills, while Mann had seven kills and three blocks. Sophomore Sean Donahue (Lincoln, R.I.) had five kills and two blocks, Akuri had three kills and four blocks, Newhouse had six digs, and senior Tyler Moriarty (Wilbraham, Mass.) had 25 assists and six digs.
With the win Springfield runs its win streak to four and improves to 10-3 on the season, while Wentworth falls to 6-4. Both teams are in action on Sunday as the Pride travels to Daniel Webster for a tri-match against the Eagles and Southern Vermont and the Leopards are at Mount Ida for a rescheduled tri-match with the Mustangs and Newbury.
