#12 Men's Volleyball Rallies Past Emerson, Heads to Sixth-Straight GNAC Championship

BOSTON, Mass. – Backed by a game-high 21 kills from junior Jacob LaBouliere (Pipersville, Pa.), the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's volleyball team (25-7) rallied past the Emerson Lions (13-15) by a 3-1 score in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Tournament Semifinals, pushing the Black & Gold to their sixth-straight GNAC Championship appearance.

The Leopards are seeking their second-straight GNAC Championship and fourth overall. In addition to winning last year, Wentworth captured the crown in 2016 and 2017.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The two teams stayed neck-and-neck to start the first set as a kill by senior Hunter Oshman (Pennington, N.J.) tied the score at 4-4. The Lions pushed to a 9-6 advantage until a kill by LaBouliere dwindled the deficit to two at 9-7. Emerson continued to carry their lead to a 19-13 score just before a kill by sophomore Sam Etter (Massillon, Ohio) cut the lead to 19-14. A LaBouliere kill and service ace by junior Tyler Jack (San Jose, Calif.) later cut the deficit to 20-18. The Leopards' claw back wasn't enough to get past the Lions as the visitors grabbed a 25-22 set win and a 1-0 match lead after holding the lead since a 7-6 advantage.
• A kill by freshman Nicolai Bell (Moraga, Calif.) helped the Leopards keep things close to start the second set, marking a 2-2 score. An Etter kill gave the Leopards a 4-3 lead before three-straight LaBouliere kills and an Oshman kill gave the hosts a 10-6 lead. Another Oshman kill continued the lead to 14-8 before a LaBouliere kill marked a 19-13 advantage later on. Consecutive kills by Etter (2), Bell, and junior Jacob Waga (East Northport, N.Y.) guided the Leopards to a 25-17 set win, tying the match at one apiece.
• Two kills from LaBouliere paired with Waga and Etter kills gave the Leopards a 4-2 lead to start the third set. Back-to-back kills from Waga and LaBouliere continued the lead to 8-6 before a Bell kill later marked a 12-9 score. A kill by senior Tristan McDonough (Shelton, Conn.) helped leap the Leopards to a 18-11 advantage before a kill by Etter marked a 20-13 advantage. Two Waga kills guided Wentworth to a 25-15 set win and a 2-1 match lead.
• Two services aces and a kill by Waga gave the hosts a commanding 5-0 advantage to start the fourth set before another kill by Waga later marked a 7-2 score. Two kills from Bell paired with kills from LaBouliere and Etter gave the Leopards a 14-6 lead. Kills by Waga and Bell helped continue the lead to 18-9 before the Leopards cruised to a 25-12 set win and a 3-1 match win thanks to a slew of errors for the Lions.
• Sophomore Josh Milke (Eastampton, N.J.) dished out a career-high 48 assists in the win.

SERIES NOTES:

• Wentworth owns a 25-2 all-time advantage over the Lions, with their last loss dating back to 2013.

 NEXT UP:

• The Leopards host Lasell in the GNAC Championship Saturday at 2:00 p.m., as it's the second-straight time and third overall the team will be facing off against the Lasers in the conference finale.

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