MARCY, N.Y. – The Wentworth Institute of Technology men's volleyball team picked up two more victories Saturday to improve to 4-0 on the season. The Leopards first defeated Mount St. Joseph 3-0, then took a four set victory over Baruch College.
Wentworth 3, Mount St. Joseph 0
The Leopards fell behind early in the first set, as the Lions jumped out to a 4-1 advantage in the opening set. Wentworth pulled within a point at 5-4 after junior hitter Hunter Oshman (Pennington, N.J.) connected on a service ace, but Mount St. Joseph built the lead back up to four points at 10-6. However, a trio of kills by sophomore hitter Jacob LaBouliere (Pipersville, Pa.) and a pair of finishers from Oshman helped the Leopards draw even at 13-13. With the score tied at 15, the Lions appeared to take control. Mount St. Joseph won five of the following six points and held a 20-16 lead late in the set. But after that point, Wentworth surrendered only two points the rest of the way. Three kills from Oshman, as well as one kill from both sophomore hitter Tyler Jack, (San Jose, Calif.) and junior hitter Colin Stockton (Hummelstown, Pa.) helped the Leopards rally for a 7-1 run to take the lead at 23-21. Following a point from MSJ, two points from Wentworth, including another ace from Oshman, finished out the first set as the Leopards took a 25-22 victory.
Wentworth got off to a much better start in the second, as two aces from Jack capped off four straight points to kick off the set. After the teams split the next six points, the Leopards rolled off five more unanswered points, getting a pair of kills from Jack, and one each from Oshman and graduate hitter David Marsh (Springfield, Mass.) to take a 12-3 lead. The Lions would fight their way back into the set however, narrowing the gap to five points after winning five of six. Kills from Jack and LaBouliere extended the lead back to seven for Wentworth, and a pair of kills from Jack, along with an ace from Oshman closed out the second set for the Leopards, who won the middle frame 25-16.
Two kills by Stockton, in addition to one from both Jack and Oshman, helped the Leopards battle to a 6-6 score early in the third. After MSJ briefly took a one point lead, Wentworth went on a strong run, as four kills from LaBouliere were key in an 11-2 stretch that broke the set open. After the teams traded points and the Leopard held a 20-11 advantage, three kills from junior hitter Tristan McDonough (Shelton, Conn.) and a pair of kills from Marsh finished things off, as Wentworth took a 25-17 victory to end the match with a 3-0 victory.
Oshman led Wentworth with 11 kills, while LaBouliere had 10. Senior setter Connor Adams (Budd Lake, N.J.) added 37 assists on the match, and libero Phoenix Stebbins (Harrisburg, Pa.) had a team-high nine digs.
Wentworth 3, Baruch 1
LaBouliere picked up three kills in the first four points of the match as Wentworth jumped out to an early 4-0 lead. After Baruch trimmed the lead to 6-3, a 9-3 run that included two kills from sophomore hitter Jacob Waga (East Northport, N.Y.), and one from both Marsh and McDonough to put the Leopards ahead 15-6. Another kill by LaBouliere and an ace from Adams built the advantage to 10 points, and two kills late in the set by junior hitter Alex McLane (Columbus, Ohio) helped finish things off as Wentworth took a 25-12 win in the first.
The Leopards fell behind early in the second, facing a 4-1 deficit in the opening stages of the set. Two kills by Waga and one finisher from freshman hitter Sam Etter (Massillon, Ohio) got Wentworth within two points at 8-6, but the Bearcats then created distance. Baruch won nine of the following 11 points to open up a 17-8 lead and take control of the set. Wentworth came back with a run of their own, though, as a pair of aces from senior hitter Drew Potter (Towson, Md.) and kills from McLane and Etter guided Wentworth to an 8-1 run to cut the Bearcat lead to 18-16. The Leopards cut the deficit to one point on three different occasions late in the second, but were not able to draw even at any point as Baruch held on for a 25-22 victory to tie the match at one set apiece.
Wentworth had much better fortunes in the third, getting off to a hot start and controlling the set throughout. Kills from LaBouliere and Oshman got the Leopards out to a 5-2 lead, and shortly after, a 12-1 run blew the third set open. McLane and Oshman both had a kill and an ace during the stretch, while Stockton had two kills. After Baruch broke the run up with two points, Wentworth went on to win six more unanswered points, thanks in large part to three service aces from Adams, as the Leopards cruised to a 25-8 win to take a two sets to one lead.
Another strong start was in store for Wentworth in the fourth, as two service aces and a kill from Oshman, along with two kills from McLane, got the Leopards out to a 7-3 lead. The teams then traded points, as kills from Stockton, Adams, and McDonough helped Wentworth maintain the four point advantage at 13-9. Two more aces from Oshman were part of a 6-1 run to put the Leopards ahead 18-10, and despite a late push from the Bearcats, two late kills from both LaBouliere and McLane closed things out with a 25-18 victory for Wentworth, as they picked up a 3-1 victory in the match.
McLane led the team with 11 kills in the second match, and LaBouliere was close behind with 10 of his own. Adams added 21 more assists while sophomore setter Anthony Krzykowski (Feeding Hills, Mass.) added 15 helpers. Stebbins and McLane tied for the team lead with five digs each.
THE SERIES:
This was the first ever meeting between Wentworth and Mount St. Joseph, with the Leopards now holding a 1-0 lead. The Leopards are Baruch met for the 11th time, as Wentworth now leads the all-time series 6-5.
NEXT UP:
The Leopards play in their home opener Wednesday, Jan. 26, when they host Regis College at 7:00 p.m.
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