BEVERLY, Mass. – The Wentworth Institute of Technology men's volleyball team, presently ranked No. 14 in the latest America Volleyball Coaches Association Division III Poll suffered a 3-1 setback to Endicott in a non-conference match played at MacDonald Gymnasium.
With the win the Gulls improve to 4-4 on the year while the Leopards slip to 5-4 with their second straight setback.
The opening set saw a dozen ties and four lead changes and Wentworth would find itself down 24-22. However, an Endicott service error and a service ace from sophomore Sean Mullen (Longwood, Fla.) knotted the score at 24-all. The Gulls served for the set after a Leopard service error but a junior Alex Potts (Niverville, N.Y.) kill made it a 25-all set. An Endicott kill gave the hosts a chance to close out the set, however a junior Jake Reed kill would tie the score for the 12th time and Wentworth closed the set after junior Mike Hansen (Rochester, N.Y.) and sophomore Jon Roat (Macedon, N.Y.) combined for a block and Reed recorded a kill.
Both teams hit well in the first set with the Leopards hitting .412 and the Gulls hitting .379. Reed had nine attack attempts in the set and recorded seven kills with zero errors.
Wentworth opened the second set with an 8-4 lead, however would find itself down 18-14 before a 6-1 run – fueled by back-to-back kills from Reed – gave the Black & Gold a 20-19 lead. After Endicott tied the match at 20-all, Reed and Hansen recorded kills to make it 22-20. The Gulls scored four of the last five points in the set to take a 25-22 decision and even the match at a set apiece. Reed had five kills on 11 swings without making an error.
Endicott took the lead for good (11-10) in the third set on a John Osborne (Freehold, N.J.) kill and would lead by as many as four on three occasions, including 18-14. Wentworth pulled within one four times, with the last time coming at 20-19 but the Gulls prevailed 25-20.
The Gulls closed out the match with a 25-20 win in the fourth set as the hosts turned a 7-5 lead into a 19-10 lead. Wentworth clawed its way back into the set and pulled within three at 21-18, thanks to back-to-back kills from Mullen. Endicott answered with three straight points before Mullen recorded two straight kills however the Leopards would get no closer as the Gulls prevailed, 25-20.
Osborne led Endicott offensively with a team-high 15 kills in addition to his seven digs, three service aces, and three block assists. Troy Riorden (Fairport, N.Y.) chipped in with 14 kills (.379 hitting percentage) and two service aces, while Alex Wasik (Milford, Mass.) aided the attack with seven kills and three block assists.
Cameron Little (San Diego, Calif.) had 38 assists alongside his eight digs, and two block assists. Freshman Ryan Healy (Fair Lawn, N.J.) had 15 digs.
Wentworth had four players with double-digit kill totals including Reed, Mullen, Roat, and Potts. Reed paced the foursome with a season-high 19 kills while hitting .459, while Roat registered the only double-double of the match with 13 kills and 10 digs. Potts had 10 kills and hit .471, Mullen had 13 kills and a pair of aces, and sophomore Kevin McPeek (Bethlehem, Pa.) had 56 assists.
The Leopards host a tri-match featuring Regis and New Jersey City on Saturday.
