Women's Volleyball Advances to CNE Championship with Sweep of Roger Williams

BOSTON, Mass. – Making their eighth-straight postseason appearance Thursday night, the second-seeded Wentworth Institute of Technology women's volleyball team (18-10, 7-2 CNE) sailed past the third-seeded Roger Williams Hawks (17-12, 6-3 CNE) in straight sets in the Conference of New England semifinals.

The Leopards advance to their second-straight conference championship and their third since 2018. Each of their last two appearances have resulted in a conference title.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• After the Hawks jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the first frame, the Leopards responded with five-straight of their own, featuring two kills apiece by Kate McLane and Emma Sanders, to take a 7-5 lead. Two finishes from Sanders later marked a 12-8 lead before one apiece from McLane and Sanders helped a 4-0 run to a 17-10 advantage. Two kills from Sanders etched a 22-15 advantage before a kill from Riley Schoonmaker eventually marked a 25-21 set win.
• The two teams swapped scores to start the second set, raising the score to 8-8, before kills by McLane and Clairissa Taylor later marked a 13-11 score. Roger Williams later cut the deficit to 16-15 and 17-16 scores before Wentworth rattled off eight-straight points, including two kills from Helen Barthe, to take a 25-16 set win.
• The Black & Gold opened the third set on a 13-3 run, featuring kills by McLane, Sanders, Schoonmaker, and Taylor, before a kill apiece by Sanders and Schoonmaker later marked a 15-9 lead. Behind 17-13, the Hawks scored five-straight to take a one-point edge at 18-17 before the Leopards responded with three-straight to take a 20-18 lead. After Roger Williams answered with a 3-0 run of their own to take another one-point lead, the Leopards scored five-straight, featuring two aces by Kayla DeCastro, to claim a 25-21 set win.
• Sanders led the Leopards with 19 finishes (.368 clip) and 14 digs while McLane followed with 12 kills (.240). Olivia Vaughn dished out 40 assists and also picked up double-digit digs alongside Barthe.

NOTEWORTHY:

• Wentworth is now 14-2 at home this season.
• Sanders' 19 kills are the most in a three-set match in program history.
• Vaughn's 40 assists are the most in a three-set match in program history.

SERIES NOTES:

• The Leopards have won four-straight over the Hawks, including two-straight in five sets prior to tonight. The Black & Gold downed Roger Williams in a five-set comeback back on October 9.

NEXT UP:

• The Black & Gold travel to top-seeded Endicott for a rematch of last season's conference championship, taking place Saturday at 1:00 p.m.

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