NEW LONDON, N.H. – Trailing 2-0, the Wentworth Institute of Technology women's volleyball team used back-to-back, 25-19 wins to even the match and outlasted host Colby-Sawyer, 3-2, with a 15-11 win the fifth and deciding set. Junior Riley Waggoner (Simi Valley, Calif.) led four student-athletes who had double figure kills with 14 for the Leopards, who won their fourth straight contest.

RECORDS:

• Wentworth (4-1)
• Colby-Sawyer (2-2)

WENTWORTH STAT LEADERS:

• Kills – Riley Waggoner, 14; Helen Barthe, 11; Devin Neal, 10; Krisila Hammett, 10
• Assists – Ashley Cao, 22
• Aces – Ashley Cao, 3; Megan Davies, 2; Peyton Tague, 2
• Digs – Megan Davies, 15; Ashley Cao, 10
• Blocks – Riley Waggoner, 2

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Wentworth found itself in an early hole, trailing, 6-3, before a kill from freshman Lexi Zabloudil (London, Ohio), two kills from senior Krisila Hammett (Boiling Springs, S.C.), and a kill from freshman Helen Barthe (Blythewood, S.C.) put the Leopards ahead, 7-6. The Leopards 15-13 lead on a kill from Waggoner before Colby-Sawyer came back to take an 18-15 lead. A service error followed bringing the Black & Gold to within two (18-16), however, a 7-2 Charger run gave the hosts a 25-18 win in the opening set. Hammett had six kills for Wentworth in the opening frame.
• The second set featured 18 ties and nine lead changes as the teams nearly played point-for-point throughout most of the set. With the score tied at 16-all, the Leopards scored four straight points, capped off by an ace from Waggoner. Colby-Sawyer tallied four straight points to tie the set at 20-all with senior Devin Neal (Loveland, Ohio) ending the spurt with a kill. Three straight Charger points gave the hosts a 23-21 lead but Wentworth responded with three straight points of its own to take a 24-23 lead. Wentworth led 26-25 on a freshman Abby Maher (North Granby, Conn.) kill, however, the hosts scored three straight points to go ahead 2-0 with a 28-26 win.
• Colby-Sawyer opened the third set by taking a 4-1 lead before a Waggoner kill capped off a 7-1 run to give the Leopards an 8-5 lead. A block, an ace and a pair of attack errors put the hosts ahead, 9-8 and the Chargers eventually pulled ahead with a 15-12 lead. A kill from Neal and back-to-back kills from Waggoner evened the score at 15-all. Colby-Sawyer regained the lead on a service error but Neal responded with a kill and the hosts made an attack error to give the Black & Gold an 18-16 lead. Wentworth used a 7-3 run to close out the set, 25-19, as freshman Ashley Cao (Morrisville, N.C.) ended the set with a kill. Waggoner hit .778 in the set, recording eight kills on nine swings and the Leopards hit .387 as a team.
• The Leopards led wire-to-wire in the fourth set to even the match at 2-all. Sophomore Megan Davies (Chandler, Ariz.) served an ace to make it 5-1 early on, and, while Colby-Sawyer pulled within two on a pair of occasions, Wentworth opened its lead to 22-14 after back-to-back kills from Maher. The Chargers got as close as four late, after a service error, however, back-to-back Colby-Sawyer errors gave the Leopards a 25-19 win. Wentworth held the Chargers to -.045 hitting in the set.
• While the teams traded points in the opening of the deciding set, a pair of kills from Waggoner, sandwiched around an ace from Davies, gave the Leopards a 6-3 lead. Wentworth extended its lead to 10-6 on a junior Viviann Goulet (North Kingstown, R.I.) block, however, four straight Colby-Sawyer points tied the set at 10-all. Zabloudil ended the run with a kill, which began a 5-1 spurt for the Leopards, who took the set, 15-11, to win the match.

THE SERIES:

• Tonight was the 23rd known meeting between the two teams and the first since 2010. Colby-Sawyer holds a 21-2 series advantage.

NEXT UP:

• Wentworth hosts Lesley Thursday night.

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