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).

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.