BOSTON, Mass. – Wentworth Institute of Technology's women's volleyball team dominated the court against the Suffolk University Rams thanks to a heart-filled performance from sophomore Ashley Cao (Morrisville, N.C.), who led the Leopards with 11 kills in the Commonwealth Coast Conference match held at Tansey Gym on Tuesday night.

RECORDS:

• Wentworth (10-7, 3-1 CCC)
• Suffolk University (10-6, 0-1 CCC)

WENTWORTH STAT LEADERS:

• Kills – Ashley Cao, 11; Helen Barthe, 6; Ema Thompson, 5
• Assists – Lexi Zabloudil, 15; Ashley Cao, 8
• Aces – Helen Barthe, 4; Lexi Zabloudil, 3; Megan Davies, 2
• Digs – Ema Thompson, 12; Sydney Brooke, 11
• Blocks – Riley Waggoner, 1

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Wentworth's aggression was on display early after a quick kill from sophomore Ashley Cao (Morrisville, N.C.) gave the Leopards a 1-0 lead in the first set. Errors kept the set close until Cao struck with another kill to spring the Leopards ahead 6-5. A flurry of kills from Cao, freshman Riley Schoonmaker (Montgomery, N.Y.), sophomore Ema Thompson (Lewiston, Idaho), and senior Riley Waggoner (Simi Valley, Calif.) placed the Leopards ahead 16-10. Sophomore Helen Barthe chipped in two kills to pad the Leopards lead at 20-11. Three of the last four Leopards' kills belonged to Thompson, securing Wentworth with a 26-24 win and a 1-0 lead after a late surge from the Rams was held off.
• Errors for the Rams gave the Leopards an early 5-2 lead in the second set. A kill from sophomore Abby Maher (North Granby, Conn.) kept the Leopards ahead 6-3. Rams' errors were capped by a kill from Schoonmaker, extending the Leopards lead to 10-3. Even with the Rams fighting back, back-to-back kills from Cao kept the Leopards ahead 12-6. Another kill from Cao later in the set solidified the Leopards momentum going forward, giving them a 14-11 lead. Wentworth capitalized on frequent errors from the Rams. A dominant kill from Barthe gave the Leopards a 25-16 win and a 2-0 match lead.
• Errors on both sides of the net kept play even to start the third set. A service ace from Barthe pushed the Leopards ahead 4-3 followed by a kill from Waggoner. Kills from Barthe, Schoonmaker, Thompson and Waggoner marked Wentworth's lead at 13-8. Three service aces from sophomore Lexi Zabloudil (London, Ohio) and two kills from Cao pushed the Leopards lead to 21-10. The Rams battled back with a few points of their own until kills from Cao and Waggoner in the waning moments of the match gave the Leopards a 25-15 win and a 3-0 match victory.

THE SERIES:

• Tonight was the 20th meeting between the two teams. Wentworth leads the all-time series, 14-6.

NEXT UP:

• Wentworth plays Emerson at home on Friday night in non-conference competition.

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