BEVERLY, Mass. – The Wentworth Institute of Technology's women's volleyball team couldn't find their rhythm in time to defeat the Endicott Gulls, resulting in a 3-0 road defeat at the hands of their Commonwealth Coast Conference rival on Saturday afternoon.

RECORDS:

• Wentworth (13-9, 5-2 CCC)
• Endicott (16-7, 7-0 CCC)

WENTWORTH STAT LEADERS:

• Kills – Ashley Cao, 13; Helen Barthe, 7; Riley Schoonmaker, 5
• Assists – Lexi Zabloudil, 15; Ashley Cao, 12
• Aces – Peyton Tague, 2; Ashley Cao, 2; Helen Barthe, 2
• Digs – Peyton Tague, 10; Barthe, Cao, Zabloudil, 8
• Blocks – Riley Schoonmaker, 3

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The first point of the match went to the Leopards thanks to a kill from sophomore Helen Barthe (Blythewood, S.C.). After the Gulls went up 2-1, senior Riley Waggoner (Simi Valley, Calif.) knotted the score at two points apiece with a kill. The Gulls got consecutive points until another kill from Waggoner cut the deficit to 5-3. The Gulls picked up some momentum until a kill from Barthe slowed their roll at 12-6. Barthe notched another kill to make the score 14-7. A kill from sophomore Abby Maher (North Granby, Conn.) resulted in a 15-8 score. Wentworth was playing catch-up for most of the remainder of the set but picked up key kills from sophomore Ashley Cao (Morrisville, N.C.), sophomore Ema Thompson (Lewiston, Idaho) and freshman Riley Schoonmaker (Montgomery, N.Y.). The Gulls hung on to win the first set 25-18, giving them a 1-0 match lead.
• Endicott came up 1-0 in the second set but their lead was overtaken by a kill from Cao to make it a 2-1 score. However, the Gulls got into a rhythm and built a solid lead until another kill from Cao made the score 7-4. Another kill from Cao tightened the deficit to 8-7. Kills from Barthe and Schoonmaker kept the Leopards within striking distance at 11-9. Even though Endicott held a lead for much of the set, Wentworth stretched the set's outcome with three-consecutive kills coming from Schoonmaker, Maher, and Barthe to make the score 22-18. The Gulls reached 25 points soon thereafter, earning themselves a 25-19 win and a 2-0 match lead.
• Two-consecutive kills from Waggoner put the Leopards ahead 2-0 in the third set. A kill from sophomore Lexi Zabloudil (London, Ohio) brought the Leopards lead to 3-1. Two-straight kills from Cao kept the Leopards two points ahead at 6-4. Wentworth managed to stay ahead by a slim margin of 16-14 thanks to kills from Cao, Barthe, and Schoonmaker. The Leopards went on to commit a slew of errors that brought the score back in the Gulls' favor, 21-16. A kill from Thompson brought the Leopards to 17 points following. Wentworth tightened the finish at the end of the set thanks to kills from Maher and Cao but errors ultimately costed them a narrow defeat in the final set. The Gulls went on to win 26-24 and swept Wentworth 3-0.

THE SERIES:

• Endicott has won each of the two team's 26 meetings to date.

NEXT UP:

• Wentworth travels to Nichols in a Commonwealth Coast Conference match on Wednesday night.

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