BOSTON, Mass. – Freshman Jon Roat (Macedon, N.Y.) and sophomore Jake Reed (Arvada, Colo.) each had a match-high 15 kills, as the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's volleyball team defeated Emerson 3-0 in the first round of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference tournament Tuesday night in Tansey Gymnasium.
With the win the Leopards improve to 22-7 while the Lions wrap up their season at 13-13. Wentworth, which won its first GNAC Tournament match in the four years the Black & Gold has been a member of the league, will travel to second-seeded Lasell for a semifinal match on Thursday night.
Emerson took a 7-6 lead in the early stages of the opening set before the Leopards strung together six unanswered points to take the 12-7 lead. The Lions managed to tie things up at 18-all with a kill from freshman Nick Rusk (Weston, Fla.), however the Leopards finished on a 7-3 run that concluded with Roat earning a kill to give the Black and Gold the 25-21 set win. Roat led the way in the first set with six kills and four digs.
Sophomore Alex Potts (Niverville, N.Y.) began the second set by hitting his first of five kills in the set. Wentworth kept its distance from the Lions, as Potts and Roat led the offensive. Just like the first set, Roat ended things on a kill to take the second set 25-20.
After Emerson went up 5-4 early in the third, Wentworth scored three straight and didn't fall behind afterward. Reed put up a set-high six kills in the third set to carry the Leopards. A 6-1 run late in the set helped separate the Leopards from the Lions, giving Wentworth the 25-17 set win.
Reed hit .429, had a pair of service aces, and two blocks to go along with his 15 mills, while Roat also had two aces. Potts finished with nine kills, hit .438, and served a pair of aces. Sophomore Collin Ritter (Feeding Hills, Mass.) had 47 assists, six digs, and two blocks.
Junior Jackson Wiley (Los Angeles, Calif.) led Emerson with 16 kills while hitting .371.
