BOSTON, Mass. – Senior Jake Reed (Arvada, Colo.) tallied 26 kills on the day and became the third player in program history to eclipse the 1,000-kill mark as the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's volleyball team split a tri-match as the Leopards fell to No. 3 Stevens, 3-0, and rallied to defeat Endicott, 3-1.
The Leopards, ranked fifth in the latest AVCA Division III Poll, stand at 6-2 overall.
MATCH ONE: No. 3 Stevens 3, No. 5 Wentworth 0
Playing its third nationally ranked squad of the season, Wentworth was defeated by Stevens, 3-0. The opening set featured seven ties and four lead changes as the teams went back and forth to start the set. The Ducks took the lead for good at 9-8, however the Leopards kept the deficit at no more than two points until Stevens closed out the set with an 8-2 run which included scoring the seven points. Junior Ollie Oshman (Pennington, N.J.), Reed, and junior Sean Mullen (Longwood, Fla.) had two kills apiece in the set.
The second set featured 12 ties and four lead changes and Stevens held a 15-10 advantage after an attack error. Wentworth came back to tie the set at 18-all on an attack error and took the lead on a kill from Oshman. The teams battled back and forth before the Ducks took a 2-0 lead with a 25-23 win. Mullen had four kills and two blocks in the set while Reed had three kills on four swings without an error.
Stevens completed the sweep with a 25-22 win in the third set, however the Ducks needed to come from behind to do so. Wentworth held a 10-4 lead after an attack error before a 6-2 Stevens run made it 12-10. The Ducks cut the lead to 13-12 and cut the lead to one two more times, including at 20-19. Stevens completed the comeback by scoring six of the final eight points of the set. Mullen (four) and Reed (three) combined for seven kills in the set.
Mullen finished with 10 kills, two blocks, and six digs. Reed had eight kills while Oshman added four. Senior Mike Hansen (Rochester, N.Y.) added three blocks, junior Collin Ritter (Feeding Hills, Mass.) had 16 assists and five digs, and freshman Augusto Rodriguez-Guerrios (Guaynabo, P.R.) had 10 assists.
MATCH 2: No. 5 Wentworth 3, Endicott 1
Wentworth snapped its two-match losing streak with a 3-1 win over the Gulls but needed to come from behind to do so as the visitors took the opening set 25-18. Endicott used an 8-4 spurt to turn a tie (6-6) into a lead (14-10) and would build its lead to as many as seven three times, including off a set-clinching kill (25-18). Oshman had three kills and two blocks in the set.
Endicott was in control early in the second set, a set which featured a dozen ties and four lead changes. The Gulls held a 19-17 lead after a service ace, however the Leopards battled back to score the next three points and took a 22-20 lead on an attack error. An Endicott kill out of a timeout cut the lead to one, however Wentworth took the set 25-22 as Reed clinched the set with a kill. The Leopards hit .400 as a team in the frame. Reed led the Black & Gold with seven kills on 11 swings.
The lone tie of the third set came at 4-all and Wentworth took a 5-4 lead on an attack error. The Leopards maintained a lead of no more than two points throughout the set until taking a 17-12 lead on a setting error. The Gulls trimmed the lead to a pair on two occasions, however an Oshman kill clinched the set at 25-20. Junior Jon Roat (Macedon, N.Y.) was a perfect 4-0-4 in the set while Reed had five kills which included the 1,000th of his career. Reed and Oshman had two blocks in the set.
Reed (4-0-8) and Roat (3-0-6) each hit .500 in the fourth set, a set which Wentworth won 25-17 to capture the match. Senior Alex Potts (Niverville, N.Y.) tied the set at 10-all with a kill as a part of a 6-0 run which gave Wentworth the lead for good. Roat recorded a kill to clinch the fourth set, 25-17. Reed had four kills and two blocks in the set.
Reed led the Leopards with 18 kills and six blocks. Roat had nine kills and two aces, Oshman had six kills, hit .600, and had seven blocks, and Potts had six kills. Hansen added five blocks, Ritter had 24 assists, Rodriguez-Guerrios had 16 assists, and junior Kevin McPeek (Bethlehem, Pa.) had eight digs.
Wentworth is at Regis on Tuesday.
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