Men's Volleyball Captures First ECAC Crown

OWINGS MILLS, Md. – Senior Ross Burdett (Needham, Mass.) recorded 23 kills, 21 digs, and three blocks, en route to being name the tournament most outstanding player as the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's volleyball team captured the 2014 ECAC Division III Men's Volleyball Championship. The Leopards defeated third-seeded Penn State Behrend, 3-0, in the semifinals before rallying to defeat top-seeded and 12th-ranked Stevenson, 3-2 in the championship match.

With the two wins the Leopards conclude their finest season in program history with a 27-8 record and capture their first ECAC title in their third appearance in the tournament. Wentworth had lost in the title match to Sage Colleges last season.

In the Leopards' 3-0 win over Penn State Behrend, freshman Jake Reed (Arvada, Colo.) had 11 kills and a pair of blocks while classmate Sam Pisker (Mullica Hill, N.J.) and junior Sean Donahue (Lincoln, R.I.) had seven kills apiece. Donahue hit .700, as he did not commite and error on 10 swings and also added a pair of blocks. Burdett and classmate Brian Mann (East Freetown, Mass.) had five kills each while Mann also recording three blocks. Senior Mike Buonincontra (Shelton, Conn.) recorded 13 digs and freshman Collin Ritter (Feeding Hills, Mass.) had 32 assists and in the process broke the single-season record for assists in a season.

Wentworth took a 1-0 lead after taking a 25-21 win in the opening set, a set that saw the Lions held to an attack percentage of just .034. Reed would have four kills on 10 swings in the set. The Leopards received three kills apiece in the second set from Reed and Donahue, en route to a 25-18 win and a 2-0 lead.

The two teams battled through seven ties and five lead changes in the early stages of the third set before the Leopards scored 14 of the final 18 points to complete the sweep. Reed and Pisker had four kills apiece in the set. Wentworth forces Penn State Behrend to an attack percentage of .000 for the set while hitting .409 as a team.

Josh Oertly (Cochranton, Pa.) and Nathan Steele (Cranberry Township, Pa.) each tallied six kills for Behrend, while Joey Price (Cranberry Township, Pa.) and Ty Sheehan (Cochranton, Pa.) added six digs apiece. Colin Ingram (Hilliard, Ohio) handed out 13 assists and Grant Kocher (McMurray, Pa.) added four kills and two blocks for the Lions

Stevenson jumped out to a 2-0 lead with set wins of 25-22 and 25-19, pushing the Leopards' backs against the wall for the second time in three matches.

In the opening set, Wentworth held a 14-13 lead after a Mustang service error, however Stevenson scored five of the next six points and took an 18-15 lead on a Leopard service error. Trailing 22-18, Wentworth scored three straight points on a Burdett kill, a Mann block, and an attack error by the Mustangs to pull within one, however fell 25-22. Burdett had six kills on seven swings in the set.

Stevenson led for most of the second set and had its largest lead of five (15-10) on a junior David Moler (York, Pa.) kill. The Leopards would come with a point at 17-16 after a Mustang error, however the hosts scored four of the next five points and took a 21-17 lead before taking the 2-0 advantage with the 25-19 win. Reed, Pisker, Burdett, and freshman Alex Potts (Niverville, N.Y.) recorded a pair of kills each.

The Leopard comeback began with a 25-23 win in the third set. Wentworth would lead by as many as four (16-12) before Stevenson scored the next three points to pull within one at 16-15 and would tie the set at 22-all on a block from Moler and senior Eddy Klepper (Carlisle, Pa.). Back-to-back kills by Reed and Burdett made it 24-22 before the Mustangs made it a 24-23 score. A bad set by Stevenson gave Wentworth a 25-23 win. Reed had five kills on nine swings and Burdett added four of his own. Reed also had five digs.

Wentworth controlled the fourth set from start to finish, as the Leopards forced the Mustangs to hit -.103 in a 25-16 triumph. Reed had four kills in the set and Potts had five blocks, while Burdett had five digs.

The fifth set was a back and forth affair that ended with a 15-12 Leopard triumph. Wentworth took a 2-1 lead on kills by Ritter and Donahue, which sandwiched a Stevenson point from sophomore Kyle Pottieger (Cinnaminson, N.J.). The Mustangs would secure the next two points to make it a 3-2 score before the two teams would exchange points for nearly the entirety of the set.

After tying the score at 12 points apiece, Burdett connected on back-to-back kills to give the Leopards a 14-12 edge. After an attack error by Stevenson on the championship point, Wentworth completed the comeback and captured the title.

Burdett had 18 kills, hit .300, and had 14 digs, with four of those kills coming in the final set. Reed and Pisker had 13 and 11 kills, respectively. Reed also had 12 digs. Donahue added five kills and three blocks, Buonincontra had eight digs, and Ritter had two aces, 48 assists, and three blocks. He finishes the season with 1,012 assists. Potts had six blocks in the match.

Stevenson, which finishes the season with a 22-9 record, was led up front by Pottieger, who turned in a 13-kill, seven-dig and three-block performance in defeat. Senior Jon Martin (Lititz, Pa.) netted 11 kills and 11 digs while Klepper also had 11 kills to go along with four blocks. Moler had 46 assists in the match and also chipped in with five digs and four blocks.