#1 Men's Volleyball Dominates Rivier Down the Stretch, Paces Win Streak to 15

NASHUA, N.H. – Senior Jacob LaBouliere (Pipersville, Pa.) led with a match-high 19 finishes as the top-ranked Wentworth Institute of Technology men's volleyball team (15-0, 5-0 GNAC) turned the tides against conference foe Rivier (7-7, 3-1 GNAC) late in the match, snagging a four-set victory to pace themselves to their program-best fifteenth straight win to open the season.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Kills by LaBouliere and graduate student Brandon Dunz (Lake View, Fla.) gave the Black & Gold a 3-1 lead in the first set before another kill by LaBouliere later pushed the lead to 7-5. A kill by LaBouliere and service ace by senior Tyler Jack (San Jose, Calif.) extended the lead to 10-7 before a kill by Dunz marked a 14-12 set. A kill and service ace by junior Sam Etter (Massillon, Ohio) helped Wentworth to an 18-15 lead before a kill by LaBouliere and service ace by junior Josh Milke (Eastampton, N.J.) marked a 21-17 lead. Rivier responded with an 8-2 run, coming back to steal a 25-23 set win from Wentworth.
• The two teams swapped scores to open the second set, with the Leopards gaining an 8-6 lead on a service ace by senior Jacob Waga (East Northport, N.Y.) and a kill by Nicolai Bell (Moraga, Calif.). The Raiders took a 9-8 edge before the two teams again swapped points to a 15-all draw. The two teams traded to 17-17 before kills by LaBouliere and Waga, along with a slew of errors, paced the Leopards to a 25-18 set win, tying the match at one aside.
• Wentworth raced out to an 8-4 lead in the third set, led by kills from Dunz, Bell, LaBouliere, and sophomore Benjamin Moughon (Mercer Island, Wash.), before two kills by Waga paced the score to 13-6 in favor of Wentworth. Kills by Dunz, LaBouliere, and Waga pushed the Leopards' lead to 19-10 before three kills by Bell pushed Wentworth to a 25-16 set win.
• The two teams traded scores to begin the fourth set, with a Bell kill and Waga service ace giving the Leopards a 7-6 edge. A service ace by Jack and kill by LaBouliere pushed the lead to 11-9 before a kill by Bell and service ace by Dunz separated the Leopards in a 17-12 score. Two kills by Waga helped guide the lead to 21-15 before kills by Dunz, Waga, and LaBouliere paced the Leopards to a 25-18 set win and a 3-1 match win.

SERIES NOTES:

• Wentworth has won five straight matchups between the two teams.

NEXT UP:

• The Leopards host Emerson in conference action Tuesday night.

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