Men's Volleyball Opens 2021 Campaign With Two Wins

BOSTON, Mass. – In its first contest since March 5, 2020, the Wentworth Institute if Technology men's volleyball team picked up a pair of wins over Lasell. The Leopards took the first match, 3-1, before picking up a 3-0 sweep in the second match of the afternoon.

RECORDS:
Wentworth (2-0)
Lasell (0-2)

MATCH ONE:  Wentworth 3, Lasell 1
WENTWORTH STAT LEADERS:
Kills – Ryan Love, 20; Ryan Engel 15
Assists – Anthony Krzykowski, 46
Aces – Jacob Waga, 4
Digs – Krzykowski, 15; Peter Klembczyk, 15
Blocks – Jacob LaBouliere, 3

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• A Lasell attack error gave Wentworth a 10-5 lead early in the first set, a lead that swelled to as many as six (18-12) after a freshman Jacob LaBouliere (Pipersville, Pa.) solo block. The Lasers used an 8-2 run to tie the score at 20-all after a Leopard attack error. A Lasell attack error and a service ace from graduate student Ryan Love gave Wentworth a 22-20 lead, however, the Lasers knotted the score at 22-all and, again, at 23-all. LaBouliere put down a kill to set the Black & Gold up for match point (24-23) but a service error tied things at 24-all. The set was tied three more times before a Wentworth service error put the visitors at the line for set point. Sophomore Colin Stockton (Hummelstown, Pa.) recorded a solo block to tie things at 28-all before graduate students Ryan Engel (Floral Park, N.Y.) and Ryan Love (Gaithersburg, Md.) recorded a kill and a service ace, respectively, to close out the set, 30-28.
• LaBouliere put down a kill to give the hosts a 9-5 lead in the second set before Lasell used an 11-4 run to take a 16-13 lead on a sophomore Brendan Joyce (Randolph, Mass.) kill. Wentworth battled back to even the score at 18-all on back-to-back service aces from freshman Jacob Waga (East Northport, N.Y.) and took a 19-18 lead when LaBouliere and classmate Anthony Krzykowski (Feeding Hills, Mass.) combined for a block. After a kill from Love evened the score at 22-all, the Lasers scored the next two points, which included a service ace from senior Aaron Waitekus (Norwood, Mass.). An attack error brought the hosts back to within one, however, Joyce ended the set with a kill.
• Wentworth took a 2-1 lead with a 25-17 win in the third set. The set was close early on before the Leopards used a 6-1 run to turn an 8-6 lead into a 14-7 lead as Engel had a pair of kills during the run. The Black & Gold extended its lead to 20-10 after a LaBouliere kill, a service ace from freshman Tyler Jack (San Jose, Calif.), and a kill from Love. Lasell made a run , using a 7-3 spurt to pull within six (23-17), however, Engle recorded a kill and Waga served an ace to end the set.
• After battling through five ties in the early stages of the fourth set, the Leopards used a 7-1 run to take a 13-7 lead. Lasell trimmed the lead to 16-13 after a ball handling error before Love sandwiched a pair of kills around a LaBouliere ace to push the lead to 19-13. The Lasers pulled within four at 23-19 after a Wentworth service error, however, the Black & Gold closed out the match after an attack error and a kill from Engel.
• Love hit .425 for the match, which included 20 kills (20-3-40) while Engel chipped in with 15 kills. LaBouliere finished with nine kills, two aces, and three blocks, while Stockton had eight kills and a pair of blocks. Waga served four aces, Krzykowski had 46 assists and 15 digs, and senior Peter Klembczyk (Penfield, N.Y.) had 15 digs. Wentworth hit .325 as a team.

MATCH TWO:  Wentworth 3, Lasell 0
WENTWORTH STAT LEADERS:
Kills – Jacob LaBouliere, 12; Ryan Engel, 10
Assists – Anthony Krzykowski, 35
Aces – Anthony Krzykowski, 2, Ryan Love, 2
Digs – Peter Klembczyk, 12
Blocks – Ryan Engel, 5; David Marsh, 4

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Lasell raced out to a 9-3 lead to open the match as five different student-athletes recorded kills to account for more than half of the Lasers' points. Using an 8-2 run, Wentworth tied the set on a block from LaBouliere and took its first lead of the set when LaBouliere put down a kill to make it 13-12. The teams battled through five ties before the Leopards took an 18-17 lead on a Lasell attack error and extended their lead to 22-18 on another error. LaBouliere put down a kill, making it 23-20 before Lasell pulled within a point at 23-22. Jack pushed the Leopards to set point with a kill, however, an attack error brought the Lasers back within one before a Stockton kill ended the set, 25-23.
• Wentworth hit .348 in the second set and held Lasell to -.143. The Leopards took an early, 7-3 lead before Lasell closed the gap to 9-7. Six straight Wentworth points, capped off by a block from senior David Marsh (Springfield, Mass.) and Engel, made it 15-7. An ace from Love extended the lead to 18-8, however, the Lasers scored five straight points and pulled back within five (18-13). A Laser service error and a service ace from Marsh started a 7-2 run which ended the set, 25-15, and put the hosts ahead 2-0.
• A back and forth third set started with six ties before an 8-1 Wentworth run gave the Black & Gold a 14-7 lead, thanks to a pair of kills from Marsh and a kill from Engel. After a service error gave the Leopards a 19-12 lead, Lasell used an 8-2 run, pulling within a point (21-20) after a graduate student Scott Sterenberg (Oceanside, N.Y.) ace. Out of a timeout, the Black & Gold pushed their lead to 24-21 as LaBouliere recorded his fifth and sixth kills of the frame and an Engel kill ended the set, 25-22, and gave Wentworth the straight-set win.
• LaBouliere had 12 kills and hit .500 (12-2-20) to go along with six digs. Engel added 10 kills and five blocks, Love had eight kills and six digs, Marsh had four kills (4-1-6), two aces, and two blocks. Krzykowski 35 assists, two aces, and five digs, and Klembczyk finished with a dozen digs. Wentworth held the Lasers to -.012 hitting for the match.

THE SERIES:

• Today marked the 42nd and 43rd all-time meetings between the two schools with Wentworth now holding a 27-16 advantage. The Leopards have won the last five meetings in the series. The teams will meet four more times before the end of the season.

NEXT UP:

• Wentworth travels to Eastern Nazarene on Thursday (March 25).

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