BOSTON, Mass. – Freshman Sean Mullen (Longwood, Fla.) had 10 kills and three service aces in his collegiate debut to help the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's volleyball team open the 2015 season with a 3-0 win over Endicott in a non-conference match at Tansey Gymnasium.
The win snapped a nine-match home losing streak against the Gulls as the Leopards won their season opener for the second straight season. Endicott dropped its third straight to sit at 1-3 on the season.
Mullen had five kills and hit .571 in the opening set as Wentworth took a 25-15 decision. Endicott held an 8-4 lead in the early going before an 8-4 spurt by Wentworth tied the set at 12 with kills from freshman Jon Roat (Macedon, N.Y.), Mullen, and sophomore Alex Potts (Niverville, N.Y.) along with a Gull attack error leading the way. Those four straight points started a 15-1 run as the Leopards took a 23-13 lead on a kill from senior Sean Donahue (Lincoln, R.I.). As a team the Leopards hit .308 and had four blocks.
A Donahue kills and two service aces gave Wentworth a 10-5 lead in the second set. Endicott battled back to tie the set at 13-all after a junior John Osborne (Freehold, N.J.) kill and a Leopard attack error and the Gulls took a 14-13 lead on an ace by junior Alex Wasik (Milford, Mass.) ace. The set would be tied two more times before Wentworth took a 19-15 lead. Endicott closed the gap to 20-19, however a 5-1 spurt by the Leopards closed out the set, 25-20. Donahue had four kills on five swings in the set while Roat and Mullen served two aces each.
Endicott led by as many as four in the early going before four straight Wentworth points knotted the set at 8-all. After the set was tied at 9-all, the Leopards scored seven of the next 10 points and took a 16-12 lead on a kill from Roat. The Gulls responded with two straight points to cut the gap to 16-14, however kills from Potts and Mullen made it 18-14. The Gulls would come within three on two occasions, however the Leopards clinched the match with a 25-20 win.
Roat had nine kills, three aces and three blocks, Donahue added nine kills and four blocks, and Potts had six kills, two aces, and five blocks. Sophomore Collin Ritter (Feeding Hills, Mass.) had 32 assists and sophomore Jake Reed (Arvada, Colo.) had seven digs. As a team the Leopards hit .280 and recorded 10 blocks.
Osborne paced the Gulls with 10 kills while juniors Daniel Toth (Vernon, N.J.) and Chandler Tayek (Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.) had three blocks each. Freshman Troy Riorden (Fairport, N.Y.) had 20 assists.
Wentworth is at the SUNYIT Invitational this Friday and Saturday while Endicott hosts MIT on Tuesday night.
