NEWPORT, R.I. – Sophomore Helen Barthe (Blythewood, S.C.) recorded nine kills as the Wentworth Institute of Technology women's volleyball team came up short of victory against Salve Regina, 3-1, in Commonwealth Coast Conference play Wednesday night.

RECORDS:

• Wentworth (8-6, 2-1 CCC)
• Salve Regina (8-5, 2-0 CCC)

WENTWORTH STAT LEADERS:

• Kills – Helen Barthe, 9; Riley Waggoner, 7; Riley Schoonmaker, 6
• Assists – Lexi Zabloudil, 16; Ashley Cao, 14
• Aces – Shelby Seage, 1
• Digs – Peyton Tague, 25; Helen Barthe, 18; Ashley Cao 14; Lexi Zabloudil, 11
• Blocks – Riley Schoonmaker, 2; Shannon Raftery, 1; Viviann Goulet, 1

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• After going down 2-0 at the start of the match, Wentworth tied the set at 2-2 before Salve notched another point. Two kills from sophomore Ema Thompson (Lewiston, Idaho) then paced the Leopards to a 6-3 lead. Salve cut the deficit to 6-5 before freshman Riley Schoonmaker (Montgomery, N.Y.) and sophomore Abby Maher (North Granby, Conn.) led the Leopards to a 12-5 lead. Consecutive points scored on both sides of the net settled down in back and forth play that was capped with a kill by Barthe to give the Leopards a 25-20 win and a 1-0 lead.
• A kill by Barthe gave the Leopards an early 1-0 lead in the second set. However, after holding a 2-1 margin, the Seahawks rallied five-straight points to take a 6-2 lead against the Leopards. The Leopards rattled off points from kills by Schoonmaker, Thompson, and senior Viviann Goulet (North Kingstown, R.I.) to cut the deficit to 6-5. Opposing sets went back and forth until the Seahawks tied the match at 1-1 with a 25-16 win.
• The third set began with Wentworth matching each of the Seahawks' opening points thanks to kills from Schoonmaker and senior Riley Waggoner (Simi Valley, Calif.). After sitting tied at 4-4, the Seahawks scored five-straight to give themselves a 9-4 lead. Kills from Waggoner, Barthe, Goulet and junior Shelby Seage (Cocoa, Fla.) weren't enough to match the Seahawks' 22-18 lead. They claimed the match 25-18 and grabbed a 2-1 lead.
• Errors forced the Leopards into a 4-3 deficit early into the fourth set. The Seahawks stretched their lead to 7-3 before a kill by Goulet made it 7-4. The Seahawks answered and notched six-straight points to grab a hold of a 13-4 lead. Following a Seahawks error, they scored 3 more points to hold a 16-5 lead. A service ace by Seage and a kill by Barthe led the Leopards to battle back to an 18-11 deficit. 7 of the match's last 11 points belonged to the Seahawks, giving them a 25-15 win and a 3-1 match victory.

THE SERIES:

• Tonight was the 25th meeting between the two teams. Salve Regina leads, 16-9.

NEXT UP:

• Wentworth plays Eastern Nazarene and Worcester State at home in the 2022 Dig for a Cure tri-match on Saturday in non-conference play.

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