#9 Men's Volleyball Splits Pair with Drew and #4 Stevens

HOBOKEN, N.J. – In a non-conference tri-match featuring two nationally ranked teams, the No. 9-ranked Wentworth Institute of Technology men's volleyball team (12-2) swept the Drew Rangers (1-15) before dropping a four-set battle to No. 4-ranked Stevens (10-2), ultimately ending their win streak at nine matches.

MATCH ONE: #9 WENTWORTH 3, DREW 0

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Rangers shot out to a 6-2 lead in the opening set before carrying the advantage to 10-5. A finish by Benjamin Moughon helped cut the deficit at 11-7 before back-to-back kills by Eli Turner helped Wentworth claw back and take a 15-12 lead. Another Turner finish marked an 18-16 lead before Drew came back to take a 20-18 lead. Two kills by Moughon knotted the score at 21-all before, after a back-and-forth, another finish by Moughon claimed a 25-23 set win.
• Kills by Turner and Ryan Roller gave Wentworth a 5-4 edge in the second set before three kills by Ian Babcock helped the Leopards pull away at 10-7. The Rangers fought back to a one-point deficit and continued a back-and-forth to keep it there up to a 17-16 deficit on a Babcock kill. Another finish by Babcock marked a 21-18 lead before two aces by Moughon helped the Leopards grab a 25-20 set win.
• After a Turner kill guided the Black & Gold to 3-0 lead, another marked a 6-3 lead. A kill by Babcock continued the lead to 9-7 before a finish by Moughon capped a 3-0 run at 12-7. Wentworth rattled off a 12-4 run, stretching their lead to 21-11 before a kill by Turner helped the Leopards take a 25-15 set win.

MATCH TWO: #4 STEVENS 3, #9 WENTWORTH 1

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• A finish by Mason Andrade marked a 6-3 lead for the Leopards in the first frame before another by Andrade in addition to a first from Alem Dubcak continued the advantage to 11-8. The Ducks clawed back, knotting the score at 14-all later on, before taking a 17-15 lead. Stevens held respective one-point gaps until the Leopards tied the score at 22 aside later on. After being down 25-24, a finish by Dubcak and ace by Andrade chipped in a 3-0 run for Wentworth to take a 27-25 set win.
• A kill by Conner Foxwell marked a 5-3 lead for the Black & Gold in the second set before another carried the advantage to 8-5. After Stevens battled back, a finish by Andrew Ahn helped Wentworth pull away at 13-11 before the Ducks later knotted the score at 15 aside. The two teams traded respective one-point leads, raising the score to 23-22 in favor of the Leopards, before the Ducks finished the frame with a 3-0 run to escape with a 25-23 set win.
• Stevens jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the third set before three finishes by Dubcak later helped Wentworth to respective ties at 8-8, 10-10, and 12-12. The Ducks pulled away to 16-13 before a kill by Dubcak later closed the gap at 18-17. Stevens closed the set with a 7-2 run to claim a 25-19 set win.
• Two finishes by Nicolai Bell and another by Foxwell marked a 4-4 tie in the fourth set before the score carried to 9-9. From there, the Ducks rattled off five straight to take a 14-9 lead before later continuing their advantage to 18-12. Kills by Bell and Ahn helped close the gap at 19-17 before traded points for much of the later going resulted in a 25-21 set win for the Ducks.

SERIES NOTES:

• Today marked the seventh all-time meeting between the two teams.

NEXT UP:

• Wentworth hosts Lasell in conference action Thursday night.
  

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