#9 Men’s Volleyball Splits with #13 Nichols and #6 Vassar

UNION, N.J. – The No. 9-ranked Wentworth Institute of Technology men's volleyball team (2-1) split their respective contests on day two of the Clash at Kean Saturday afternoon, sweeping No. 13-ranked Nichols in a tightly-contested affair before falling to No. 6-ranked Vassar in a four-set battle.

MATCH ONE: #9 WENTWORTH 3, #13 NICHOLS 0

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The two teams swapped scores in the opening frame until a finish by Andrew Ahn gave Wentworth a 7-6 edge. Nichols clawed back, eventually taking a 14-12 lead, before the Leopards rattled off five straight points, featuring three kills by Alem Dubcak, to take a 17-14 advantage. The Bison again fought back, taking a 19-18 edge, before four straight points by the Leopards marked a 22-19 score. The two teams went neck-and-neck in the final going, tying the score at 24-all, before an ace by Ahn helped Wentworth grab a 26-24 set win.
• After the Leopards set out to a 5-4 lead, Nichols rallied to take an 8-5 advantage before carrying their lead all the way to 15-11. From there, a kill from Dubcak capped a 4-0 run to knot the score at 15 aside before Nichols took a 17-15 lead. The Black & Gold finished the set claiming 10 of the next 13 points, including two aces by Ryan Roller, to rally for a 25-20 win.
• The Bison set out to a 5-2 lead in the third set before a series of errors rallied the Leopards to take a 7-5 lead. A finish by Conner Foxwell marked an 11-10 edge later on before three straight kills by Ahn took part in a 5-0 run that gave the Leopards a 16-13 lead. The Bison came back to tie at 21 aside later in the set before the two teams swapped scores in the later going, extending the frame to 25-all before two errors gave the Leopards a 27-25 decision.
• Brayden Green made his mark on both sides of the ball, facilitating the offense with 24 assists and chipping in 13 digs.

SERIES NOTES:

• Wentworth is a perfect 6-0 against Nichols all-time.

MATCH TWO: #6 VASSAR 3, #9 WENTWORTH 1

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Vassar set out to 7-4 and 8-5 leads in the first set before a series of errors later gave the Leopards a 10-9 edge. A kill by Jacob Waga continued the lead to 12-11 before a rally by the Brewers led to a 16-14 lead. Vassar pushed their lead to 19-15 before a kill by Ahn helped cut the deficit at 20-19. However, the Brewers would hold on for a 25-21 set win.
• Two kills apiece by Waga and Sam Etter brought the second set to a 6-6 draw before Vassar scored four straight to raise the decision to 10-6. The Brewers brought their lead to 17-12 later in the set before kills by Waga and Etter cut the deficit to 17-15. A series of errors took part in a 5-0 run that later gave the Leopards a 20-19 edge before an Etter finish marked a 22-21 lead later on. The Leopards fended off the Brewers in the final going, 25-23.
• After Wentworth set out to a 2-0 advantage in the third set, Vassar went on a 15-3 run to take hold of a 15-5 advantage. Kills by Dubcak and Foxwell would later cut the deficit to 19-12, and a final kill at 21-14 by Etter before the Brewers snagged a 25-14 set win and a 2-1 match edge.
• After the two teams swapped scores to begin the fourth frame, Vassar took 9-5 and 10-6 leads before a finish by Nicolai Bell helped cut the deficit at 11-9. The Brewers held on to their two-point lead, with a kill by Etter marking a 16-14 deficit, before they grabbed four straight to extend their lead to 20-14. An Etter kill later dwindled the deficit at 20-15, and the Leopards would earn multiple points off errors in the later going, before Vassar held off Wentworth for a 25-19 set win.
  

SERIES NOTES:

• Today marked the ninth all-time meeting between the two teams, having previously met in the NCAA Quarterfinal Round a season ago.

NEXT UP:

• The Leopards come back home to co-host the Fenway Volleyball Classic on January 25-26.
  
  

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