NEWTON, Mass. – Two 3-0 wins by the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's volleyball team helped the Leopards run their win streak to five matches, and in the process, eclipse the program's win total from the 2012 season. The Leopards defeated Albertus Magnus in their first match of the day before finishing with a win over host Mount Ida in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference tri-match.
After needing five games to defeat the Falcons in a match on Tuesday night, Wentworth made quick work of Albertus this time around, taking a 25-16 win in the opening set and never looking back. Junior Ross Burdett (Needham, Mass.) had five kills in the opening frame for the Leopards.
The Leopards hits .333 as a team in the second game, winning 25-18. Sophomore Rami Akouri (Fall River, Mass.) had four kills on nine swings in the win and added two kills in a 25-16 third game win, a game that saw the Black & Gold hit .500 as a team. Junior Mike Buonincontra (Shelton, Conn.) and freshman Elijah Egalite (Bayonne, N.J.) had three kills apiece with junior Brian Mann (East Freetown, Mass.) recording two kills and four blocks.
Burdett, Akouri, and Buonincontra each recorded seven kills in the win, while Mann recorded six kills and seven solo blocks. Freshman Bill Shimkus (Sudbury, Mass.) had a pair of aces and 11 assists, classmate Zach Newhouse (Lancaster, Calif.) had 14 digs, and senior Tyler Moriarty (Wilbraham, Mass.) had 20 assists.
The Leopards took the opening game against Mount Ida by a 25-18 score as Burdett had three kills and Moriarty and Akouri added two apiece. Sophomore Sean Donahue (Lincoln, R.I.) had seven kills and Akouri added four kills and five digs in the second game, a game won by the Leopards by a 25-20 score. Newhouse also had five digs to help Wentworth go ahead by a 2-0 score.
Wentworth closed out the match with a 25-13 win in the third set, as the Leopards forced the Mustangs to hit -.138. Burdett had four kills in the win and Newhouse had six digs.
Burdett finished with nine kills and an attack percentage of .444, while Akouri had eight kills and seven digs and Donahue had seven kills and three blocks. Shimkus had two aces, Newhouse added 11 digs, and Moriarty had 22 assists.
With the wins Wentworth improves to 15-6 overall and 6-1 in GNAC play. The Leopards host league-leading Rivier on Thursday night.
Mount Ida
Albertus Magnus