#12 Men's Volleyball Outlasts Nichols in Five-Set Thriller

DUDLEY, Mass. – In an intense five-set battle, the twelfth-ranked Wentworth Institute of Technology men's volleyball team (19-6) fended off the Nichols Bison (18-6) to extend their match win streak to 15, tying a program record. Junior Jacob LaBouliere (Pipersville, Pa.) led the charge with a game-high 24 kills.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• A kill by senior Hunter Oshman (Pennington, N.J.) gave Wentworth an initial 1-0 lead in the first set before a kill from junior Jacob LaBouliere (Pipersville, Pa.) continued the lead to 3-1. Another Oshman kill carried the lead to 7-2 before a kill by freshman Nicolai Bell (Moraga, Calif.) marked a 10-5 score. After Nichols struck down four-straight service aces to tie the match at 14 apiece, the two teams stayed neck-and-neck through the remainder of the set. Behind 24-22, a kill from sophomore Sam Etter (Massillon, Ohio) brought the Leopards within one, but the Bison claimed a 25-23 set win and a 1-0 match lead.
• Nichols' errors and a service ace from junior Tyler Jack (San Jose, Calif.) gave Wentworth a 3-0 lead to start the second set. The Bison surged back to take a 7-3 advantage before a kill by senior Colin Stockton (Hummelstown, Pa.) helped cut the deficit to 7-5. Behind 9-5, an Oshman kill marked a 9-6 score in favor of the Bison before Wentworth battled back to bring the score to 10-10. After Nichols again stretched a lead to 14-10, an Etter kill helped the Leopards' climb back in a 15-14 deficit. A kill by Oshman tied the score at 18-all and a Stockton service ace later gave the Leopards a 20-19 lead before kills by Oshman and Etter helped the Black & Gold reach a 25-21 set win, tying the match at 1-1.
• A LaBouliere kill and two service aces from Jack gave Wentworth another 3-0 lead to start the third set and a Stockton kill carried the lead to 4-1. After Nichols pushed back, a LaBouliere kill tied the set at 5-all. A Bell kill knotted the score at 10-10 as the two teams swapped points, with the Leopards earning a 14-13 lead thanks to back-to-back kills by Oshman and Stockton. Kills by Etter and LaBouliere carried Wentworth's lead to 21-16 before another kill from LaBouliere and a handful of errors gave Wentworth a 25-19 set win and a 2-1 match lead.
• Wentworth set out to a 4-1 lead in the fourth set with help from a Jack service ace and a LaBouliere kill. After an Oshman kill marked a 6-3 advantage, Nichols battled back to force a 7-7 tie. A LaBouliere kill later tied the score at 9-9 before another gave the Leopards a 12-11 lead. After Nichols surged back to take a 15-13 lead, an Oshman kill helped the Leopards force a 15-15 tie just before the two teams swapped points, as freshman Brayden Green (Lake Worth, Fla.) notched an important kill to mark a 17-17 tie. Three LaBouliere kills helped Wentworth hold a 20-20 tie in place before Nichols grabbed a 25-20 set win, forcing a pivotal fifth set.
• After two LaBouliere kills got the Leopards out to a 2-1 lead in the fifth set, the two teams traded points until three-straight kills from the junior gave Wentworth a 12-7 lead. A slew of errors for the Bison gave the Leopards a 15-8 fifth set win and a thrilling 3-2 set win.

SERIES NOTES:

• The Leopards own a 4-0 all-time record against the Bison.

 NEXT UP:

• Wentworth hops back into conference play Saturday, visiting Elms for a tri-match with the hosts and Dean. 

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