#1 Men's Volleyball Bests #18 Marymount, #6 Cal Lutheran to Open Cal-Lu-Fornia Classic

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – In a highly anticipated pair of matchups out West, the top-ranked Wentworth Institute of Technology men's volleyball team (18-0) handled No. 18-ranked Marymount (Va.) (15-3) in straight sets before battling past No. 6-ranked Cal Lutheran (19-5), further establishing the start of the 2024 season as the program's most historic.

MATCH ONE: WENTWORTH 3, MARYMOUNT (VA.) 0

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Leopards sprung out to a 6-2 lead, kickstarted by two kills by senior Jacob LaBouliere (Pipersville, Pa.), before a kill by senior Jacob Waga (East Northport, N.Y.) pushed the lead to 9-4. Another kill by Waga continued the advantage to 13-6 before a slew of errors pushed the lead to 20-12. Kills by LaBouliere and sophomore Nicolai Bell (Moraga, Calif.) capped Wentworth's set win at 25-15.
• A kill by LaBouliere gave the Leopards a 2-1 edge in the second set before the two teams swapped scores, with another kill by the senior marking a 9-8 lead. The Saints battled back, taking a 14-12 lead, before back-to-back kills by LaBouliere later knotted the score at 17-all. The two teams swapped scores to end the set, with Wentworth prevailing with two straight to grab a 25-23 set win.
• The Black & Gold took a 4-0 advantage to begin the third set before a kill by Waga marked a 7-3 lead. Another kill by Waga helped guide Wentworth's lead to 15-10 before another paced the team to a 19-13 lead. Marymount battled, with the two teams swapping scores, until a final kill for the Leopards capped a 25-17 set win and a 3-0 match.

MATCH TWO: WENTWORTH 3, CAL LUTHERAN 1

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Kills by LaBouliere and Waga gave Wentworth a 2-0 advantage in the first set before the two teams swapped scores, with the Leopards holding a 10-7 lead on a LaBouliere kill. Another LaBouliere kill marked a 13-10 lead before kills by Bell, Waga, and sophomore Benjamin Moughon (Mercer Island, Wash.) pushed the advantage to 19-15. Kills by Moughon and LaBouliere combined with a slew of errors gave the Leopards a 25-21 set win.
• The hosts hopped out to a 5-2 lead in the second set before the Leopards rattled off eight straight points, taking a 10-5 lead. The Black & Gold never looked back, with two kills by Moughon pushing the advantage to 14-7. Cal Lutheran battled back, closing the gap to 17-14, but kills by Bell, Waga, LaBouliere, and graduate student Brandon Dunz (Lake View, N.Y.) held Wentworth's lead to a 25-17 set win.
• Kills by Dunz and Bell gave the Leopards a 2-0 lead before the two teams swapped points, with Cal Lutheran taking hold of a 12-11 edge. A service ace by junior Ryan Roller (West Hartford, Conn.) capped a 3-0 run for the Leopards, marking a 14-12 lead, before a kill by Waga marked a tie at 15-all. Cal Lutheran went on a 10-2 run to give themselves a 25-17 set win, cutting the match deficit to one.
• Wentworth raced out to a 9-4 lead in the fourth set, with four points coming on kills by Waga and junior Sam Etter (Massillon, Ohio). The Leopards continued the advantage to 14-11 on a kill by Etter before another marked a 16-12 lead. A kill by Bell pushed the lead to 18-14 before a kill by Waga marked a narrow 21-19 lead. A service ace by senior Tyler Jack (San Jose, Calif.) helped separate the Leopards in a 23-19 score before a kill by Dunz capped a 25-20 set win.

SERIES NOTES:

• Wentworth has won two straight matchups between the two teams and now leads the all-time series, 3-2.

NEXT UP:

• The Leopards face No. 16-ranked UC Santa Cruz in their final match of the tournament tomorrow before facing Moorpark in exhibition action later in the day.

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