BOSTON, Mass. – Junior Jake Reed (Arvada, Colo.) had 19 kills, two aces, and two blocks and classmate Alex Potts (Niverville, N.Y.) had 16 kills, hit .600, served a pair of aces, and had four blocks as the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's volleyball team outlasted Rivier, 3-2, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference match played at Tansey Gymnasium.
With the win the Leopards improve to 7-5 overall and 2-1 in conference play while the Raiders fall to 6-4 after dropping their conference opener.
Both teams hit well in the opening set with Rivier hitting .609 (16-2-23) and Wentworth .500 (16-2-28). The set would feature six ties and three lead changes with no team holding more than a three-point lead. The Raiders took the lead for good at 22-21 after a Leopard attack error and took the first set 25-22. Senior Mike Hadder (Yucaipa, Calif.) and sophomore Grant Andler (Chicago, Ill.) had four kills each for Rivier in the set while sophomore Sean Mullen (Longwood, Fla.) paced Wentworth with five kills.
The second set saw Wentworth even the match at 1-all with a wild, 33-31 win. The set featured 23 ties and 10 lead changes. After the teams would trade points for the majority of the set, Rivier took a 20-16 lead after a Hadder kill and led 21-17 after a Leopard service error. Rivier would commit a service error which sent Reed to the service line and he rolled off four points, which gave Wentworth a 22-21 lead. Both teams served for the set on numerous occasions, however neither side could capitalize. With the score tied at 31-all, Mullen recorded a kill and the Leopards took the set after a setting error. Reed had seven kills (7-1-9) in the set while sophomore Jon Roat (Macedon, N.Y.), sophomore Ollie Oshman (Pennington, N.J.), and Potts had two blocks each. Andler paced the Raiders with seven kills in the set.
Wentworth took a 2-1 lead in the third set as the Black & Gold led nearly wire-to-wire. Wentworth would hit .346 in the frame and was paced by five kills from Mullen. The Leopards held a five-point lead at 15-10 after a kill from Oshman before three straight Rivier points pulled the visitors back within a pair. Roat and Potts would combine for a block to put Wentworth ahead 21-15 and the Leopards would lead by six on two more occasions before taking the set 25-19. Hadder had three kills for Rivier.
Rivier forced a deciding set with a 25-21 win in the fourth set as the Raiders received six kills from Hadder and forced the Leopards to hit a match-low .061. Wentworth controlled the pace early and led 9-5 after an attack error by Rivier. The Raiders used an 11-5 run to take a 16-14 lead and swelled their lead to five (20-15) on a junior Tyler Blank (Rochester, N.Y.) kill. The Leopards closed the gap to a pair on three occasions, including at 23-21, however back-to-back errors gave the visitors the win. Reed had four kills for Wentworth and Mullen served a pair of aces.
The deciding set saw Wentworth take a two-point lead, including on the changeover at 8-6. A service error brought Rivier within one, however four straight Leopard points increased the lead to 11-7. With Wentworth leading 14-10 after a Reed kill, the Raiders staged a comeback, scoring three straight points and pulled within one on a sophomore Garrett Bucklin (Jamestown, R.I.) kill. Out of a timeout, Potts ended the match with a kill give Wentworth a 15-13 win. Potts (4-0-4) and Reed (4-0-6) paced Wentworth's offense in the deciding set as the Black & Gold hit .800 (12-0-15).
In addition to Reed and Potts, Mullen had 14 kills and three aces, Roat had 11 kills and five blocks, Oshman had seven blocks, and sophomore Kevin McPeek (Bethlehem, Pa.) had 60 assists.
Four Rivier players recorded double figurekill totals in the loss with Hadder leading the way with 17, Andler 13, sophomore Matt Heckler (Simi Valley, Calif.) 12, and Bucklin added 11. Freshman Khaynen Yocca (Pittsburgh, Pa.) had eight kills and five blocks while Blank had 58 assists.
Wentworth is idle until February 20 when the Leopards travel o Newbury for a tri-match with Daniel Webster. Rivier hosts Johnson & Wales on February 17.
