BOSTON, Mass.. – Sophomore Ryan Love (Gaithersburg, Md.) put down 10 kills to keep the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's volleyball team untouched in conference action with a 3-0 sweep over Emmanuel College on Tuesday afternoon.
The Leopards downed the COF foe by set scores of 25-23, 25-18, and 25-17, and move to 6-2 on the season.
Both teams battled point-for-point in the opening set, before the Saints used a 4-0 run to gain a four-point lead, 11-7. While the Leopards quickly clawed back with a pair of kills from junior Ryan Engel (Floral Park, N.Y.), Emmanuel stayed out in front, regaining the four-point advantage (18-14) after a kill from Seamus McDonagh (Long Beach, N.Y.). Engel ignited the turning point in the set for the Leopards with a service ace, and led the Black & Gold to a 5-1 run for the 20-19 score. Despite the Saints deadlocking the set twice more, Wentworth scored the final five of seven points in the comeback win.
WIT controlled the beginning of the second frame with a service ace by freshman Drew Potter (Towson, Md.) and a kill by junior Augusto Rodrigues-Guerrios (San Juan, P.R.), 6-3, before Emmanuel was able to close the gap to one thanks to a service ace by setter McDonagh, 10-9. The Saints continued to push through the middle of the frame and traded the lead back and forth with the Leopards before WIT was able to take a two-point lead off attacking errors by the Saints, 17-15. The Leopards closed out the second set with a dominant kill from Sean Spencer (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.).
Wentworth started off the third frame strong, taking a 9-4 lead quickly off a strong offensive presence from Engel and a dominant defensive showing with blocks from Spencer and Engel. Love gave Wentworth a double-digit lead, 22-12, as the Saints were only able to shrink the gap to seven for the 25-17 final.
Love's game-high 10 kills led Wentworth to the most kills booked in three sets this season, while Engel added nine kills, four aces, and an assisted block for 13.5 points. Sophomore Peter Klembczyk (Penfield, N.Y.) paced the defense with seven digs, while Rodriguez-Guerrios dished out 29 kills, while hitting .667 with four kills and zero errors on six swings.
Erik English (Simi Valley, Calif.) paved the way for Emmanuel with nine kills on .333 hitting, while McDonagh had 18 assists.
Wentworth steps out of conference action next week for a 7:00 p.m. match at MIT.
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