Men's Volleyball Battles Back to Split with Lasell

NEWTON, Mass. – After suffering its first loss of the season, the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's volleyball team bounced back to defeat Lasell and earn a split on the day. The Lasers took the first match, 3-1, before the Leopards earned their third straight-set triumph of the season with a 3-0 win.

RECORDS:

• Wentworth (4-1)
• Lasell (1-3)

MATCH ONE:  Lasell 3, Wentworth 1

WENTWORTH STAT LEADERS:

• Kills – Ryan Love, 16; Jacob LaBouliere, 10
• Assists – Anthony Krzykowski, 39
• Aces – Colin Stockton, 3; Ryan Engle 3
• Digs – Peter Klembczyk, 13; Ryan Love, 12
• Blocks – David Marsh, 4; Ryan Engel, 4

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• A back-and-forth first set eventually led to a 14-13 Wentworth lead after a freshman Jacob LaBouliere (Pipersville, Pa.) kill. Using a 7-1 run, Lasell took a 20-15 lead after a kill from sophomore Jan Baranowski (Wheeling, Ill.) kill. Wentworth rallied back to tie the set at 23-all on a kill from LaBouliere and, after the Lasers got a kill from graduate student Scott Sterenberg (Oceanside, N.Y.) to make it 24-23, LaBouliere responded to stave off set point with another kill. However, a Lasell kill and a block gave the hosts a 1-0 lead with a 26-24 win.
• Wentworth found itself down early in the second set but would rally to tie the score at 10-all on a kill from senior David Marsh (Springfield, Mass.). Lasell built its lead to 15-11 on an attack error and never looked back in the set, taking a 2-0 lead with a 25-21 win.
• The Leopards hit a match-high .370 in the third set to keep the match alive with a 25-21 win. Trailing 4-1 early, the Black & Gold took an 8-7 lead on a kill from graduate student Ryan Love (Gaithersburg, Md.) and, after a Baranowski kill made it 14-13, Wentworth rolled off three straight points with two coming on aces from graduate student Ryan Engel (Floral Park, N.Y.) to lead, 17-13. The Lasers used a 4-1 spurt to pull back within one but three straight kills from Love pushed the lead to 21-17. Lasell scored the next three points, pulling back within one before Wentworth closed out the set on a 4-1 run and ended the set with a LaBouliere kill.
• Lasell jumped out to 7-1 lead in the fourth set before Wentworth scored four straight points to pull within a pair. Using a 6-1 run, the Lasers took a 13-6 lead and upped their lead to 17-9 on a kill from Sterenberg. The hosts closed out the match with a 25-15 win.

MATCH TWO:  Wentworth 3, Lasell 0

WENTWORTH STAT LEADERS:

• Kills – Ryan Love, 12; Tyler Jack, 12; Ryan Engel, 11
• Assists – Anthony Krzykowski, 36
• Aces – Jacob LaBouliere, 1; Ryan Engle, 1; Jacob Waga, 1
• Digs – Anthony Krzykowski, 7
• Blocks – David Marsh, 5

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• After falling behind, 7-4, to start the second match, Wentworth responded with a 5-2 run, taking a 9-8 lead on a Laser service error. The teams fought through three ties before the Leopards took a 12-11 lead on a kill from Engel and eventually upped their lead to 22-17. Lasell scored six of the next eight points and pulled within one at 24-23 after a Wentworth attack error. Love ended any chance the hosts had of tying the set when he put down a kill for a 25-23 win.
• Leading 4-3 in the second set, Wentworth used a 7-2 run and took an 11-5 lead on a Laser attack error. The Leopards upped their lead to 17-11 after a freshman Tyler Jack (San Jose, Calif.) block and would lead 23-14 before the hosts used a 5-1 run to come within five at 24-19. Engel gave the Black & Gold a 25-19 win and a 2-0 lead with a kill.
• The third set saw Wentworth take a 10-7 lead after an Engel kill, however, Lasell came back to tie the set twice, including at 15-all on a Baranowski kill. Wentworth scored four of the next five points and led, 19-16, when Engel and Marsh teamed up on a block. The Leopards extended their lead to four on a pair of occasions, including when Engel served an ace to make it 24-20. A service error made it 24-21 before LaBouliere ended the match with a kill.

THE SERIES:

• Today marked the 44th and 45th meeting between the two programs with Wentworth leading the all-time series, 28-17.

NEXT UP:

• Wentworth hosts nationally ranked Endicott on Wednesday night.

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