BOSTON, Mass. – Senior Collin Ritter (Feeding Hills, Mass.) had 10 kills and his 18 assists made him the all-time assist leader in Wentworth Institute of Technology in the Leopards' 3-0 loss to Cal Lutheran in non-conference action on Tuesday night.
Ritter's 3,486 helpers surpasses Tyler Moriarty's ('13) mark of 3,481 as both are the only two players in program history to record 3,000 or more assists in a career.
With the win the Kingsmen improve to 16-8 while the Leopards fall to 19-9.
The teams traded points early in the opening set, which resulted in four ties before Cal Lutheran took an 8-4 lead, thanks in part two a pair of Wentworth errors. The Leopards scored two of the next three points, including one on a block from freshman Sean Spencer (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) and sophomore Jesse Lefler (Rochester, N.Y.). The Kingsmen took a 13-9 lead after a service error, however Wentworth battled back to pull within one at 13-12 on a Cal Lutheran attack error and again at 15-14 on a kill from sophomore Ryan Love (Gaithersburg, Md.). The Leopards continued their run and took a 16-15 lead on a service ace from Ritter. Cal Lutheran scored nine of the next 12 points and took a 24-19 lead on a service ace from sophomore Grant Nelson (Las Vegas, Nev.). A kill from Lefler and an attack error made it 24-21, however a sophomore Andrew Reina (Orange, Calif.) kill gave the visitors a 25-21 win.
Three ties opened the second set before Wentworth used a 7-2 run to take a 10-5 lead on a junior Brian Drouse (Dallas, Pa.) kill. A kill from Nelson ended the run, however, the Leopards got the point back on a service error. Junior Brendan Ward (Pacific Palisades, Calif.) had a kill to make it 13-7 and started a 5-1 run and made it 14-12. A kill from Ritter ended the run, however, the Kingsmen used a 6-2 run and took an 18-17 lead on an attack error. Drouse put down a kill to even the set at 18-all, one of six ties before a Lefler kill gave the Leopards set point at 24-23. An attack error staved off set point and Cal Lutheran used a pair of blocks to take a 2-0 lead with a 26-24 win. Ward had three kills on six swings without an error in the set for the Kingsmen while Ritter had four kills, one ace, and one block for the Leopards.
After falling behind 2-0 to open the third set, Wentworth strung together three straight pints and took a 3-2 lead, using a kill from Drouse and a pair of Cal Lutheran attack errors. The Kingsmen scored four of the next five points and took a 6-4 lead after a Leopard attack error. Six straight Wentworth points gave the hosts a 10-6 lead after a kill from freshman Kevin Devine (Charlotte, Vt.). After back-to-back kills from sophomore Kevin Dietrich (Las Vegas, Nev.) made it 10-8, Ritter set up freshman Sean Spencer (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) for his program-record 3,482nd career assist. Cal Lutheran scored the next five points, taking a 13-11 lead on a block from Campbell and Nelson. Wentworth battled back to tie the score at 15-all when Love and Drouse teamed up on a bock. A setting error gave the Kingsmen the lead back at 16-15 and the visitors extended their lead to 20-17. Wentworth pulled within one on a pair of occasions, including at 24-23 on a kill from Love, however a Campbell kill ended the match, 25-23.
Dietrich finished with seven kills while Ward added six. Nelson had 25 assists, Campbel had five kills and five blocks, and sophomore Patrick Rowe (Long Beach, Calif.) had 10 digs.
In addition to his 10 kills and 18 assists, Ritter also had two aces. Love added seven kills, Spencer had four kills and three blocks, sophomore Augusto Rodriguez-Guerrios (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) had 15 assists, and freshman Peter Klembczyk (Penfield, N.Y.) had nine digs.
Wentworth hosts Mount Ida and Johnson & Wales in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference tri-match on Saturday.
For the latest on Wentworth Athletics, follow the Leopards via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Wentworth Leopards "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.
Moriarty '13 (3,481).
