NORTON, Mass. – The Wentworth Institute of Technology women's volleyball team opened the 2010 season – and the tenure of first-year head coach Jenn Kelemen – with three matches at the Wheaton Invitational, hosted by Wheaton College. The Leopards opened their campaign with an 0-3 record, falling to the host Lyons, 3-0, St. Joseph's of Maine, 3-2, and Emerson, 3-0.
Wentworth opened the day with a match against Wheaton and fell behind early, dropping the first set by a 25-17 score and would find itself down, 2-0, after losing the second set by a 25-18 score. Costly errors in the third set led to the Lyons holding the Leopards to just six points in a 25-6, match-clinching set. Sophomore Julie Rahilly (Nashua, N.H.) had seven kills, two aces, and four digs, while freshman Michelle Hobbs (Northwood, N.H.) and junior Julie Bruton (Montgomery, Texas) each had four kills. Sophomore Nicole Wetherbee (Pembroke, Mass.) had nine digs.
The Leopards jumped out to a 2-0 lead against St. Joseph's, taking the first set by a 25-16 score and the second set by a 25-20 score. However, the Monks hung around to take a 30-28 win in the third set and forced a fifth and deciding set with a 25-14 win in the fourth set. The final set was all St. Joseph's, as the Monks took a 15-3 win and a 3-2, come from behind win. Bruton had nine kills, three aces, and three blocks, while Hobbs had eight kills and three aces. Senior Sam Vinciguerra (Somersworth, N.H.) had four kills and two blocks. Defensively Wetherbee and Rahilly had 12 and nine digs, respectively, with Rahilly also adding five kills.
Against an Emerson College team that was an NCAA Tournament participant a season ago, the Leopards dropped the first set, 25-7, but would recover to stay with the Lions in the second set before falling, 25-20. The Lions, who would go 3-0 and win the tournament championship for a second straight year, closed out the match with a 25-19 win in the third set. Bruton had five kills and a block, while Rahilly added four kills and three digs. Wetherbee led the Leopards defensively with a team-high six digs.
Wentworth is idle until Friday when the Leopards travel to Standish, Maine, for the SJC Autumn Invitational. The Leopards will face St. Joseph's and Lyndon State on Friday night, while battling against Green Mountain and an opponent to be announced on Saturday.
