Men's Volleyball Opens Season With Pair of Victories

MARCY, N.Y. – The Wentworth Institute of Technology men's volleyball team started its season off with two victories Friday evening, first defeating Nazareth College 3-1, then picking up a straight set victory over SUNY Polytechnic Institute.

Wentworth 3, Nazareth 1

The two teams went back and forth in the early stages of the match, with neither team holding a lead bigger than one point. With Nazareth holding a 7-6 lead, the Leopards rolled off five straight points, including one of junior hitter Hunter Oshman's (Pennington, N.J.) team-high 13 kills on the match to take an 11-7 lead. Two more kills by Oshman, as well as one from Colin Stockton (Hummelstown, Pa.) helped Wentworth maintain their lead at 16-13. After two points from Nazareth, the Leopards took the next four to build a 20-15 lead. The Golden Flyers again came back, winning four of the next six to get within three points at 22-19, but the Leopards closed out the set with three straight points to take a 1-0 match lead.

The second set started off similar to the first, with the teams matching each other point for point. But this time it was Nazareth who pulled ahead. With the score tied 7-7, the Golden Flyers went on an 11-3 run to take an 18-10 lead and looked poised to put the set away. However, Wentworth came back with seven unanswered points of their own, including two kills from sophomore hitter Tyler Jack, (San Jose, Calif.) who had 10 on the match, and another from Oshman. With the Leopards trailing 19-18, four straight points from Nazareth gave them a five point advantage, and despite two late kills from Oshman and Jack, the Golden Flyers were able to close out the set with a 25-20 victory to tie the match.

The Leopards got off to a hot start in the third and jumped out to an early lead. Two service aces from senior setter Connor Adams (Budd Lake, N.J.) and a kill from Oshman helped Wentworth to go ahead 8-2 in the third. Following a point by Nazareth, kills from sophomore hitter Jacob LaBouliere (Pipersville, Pa.) and graduate hitter David Marsh (Springfield, Mass.) were part of eight straight points for the Leopards, who held a 16-3 lead following the stretch. Nazareth added a few points late, but a pair of kills from Stockton towards the end of the set helped to close out the third set 25-13 in favor of Wentworth.

Another strong start in the fourth helped pave the way for the Leopards in the final set. Two kills by Oshman helped to build a 6-2 lead, and following a point from the Golden Flyers, Wentworth won five of the next six points to break the set open early. Nazareth rallied back to close the gap to a 12-8 score, but four straight points, thanks to kills from Jack, LaBouliere, and Stockton gave the Leopards an eight point lead. Holding a 17-12 lead deep into the set, the Leopards won eight of nine points to pick up a 25-13 win in the set and take the match three sets to one.

Oshman had a team-best 13 kills while Jack added 10. Adams racked up 37 assists, and libero Phoenix Stebbins (Harrisburg, Pa.) added 12 digs.

Wentworth 3, SUNY Poly 0

The Leopards picked up where they left off in their second match, taking an early 7-3 lead against SUNY Poly due in part to a pair of aces from Stockton and two kills from Oshman. But the Wildcats came back with a run of their own and were able to tie the score at 9-9. After SUNY Poly drew even, Wentworth completely took over the set. The visitors ran off 10 unanswered points, as LaBouliere, Oshman, and Marsh all picked up kills. Two late kills from freshman hitter Dylan Burritt (Newbury Park, Calif.) and a pair of aces from sophomore setter Jacob Waga (East Northport, N.Y.) helped Wentworth to close out a 25-12 win in set one.

The second set was much more contested, as the Wildcats took three of the first four points and were able to hold that lead throughout the early portion of the set. Still holding a three point lead at 10-7, kills by Oshman and junior hitter Alex McLane (Columbus, Ohio) got the Leopards even at 13-13 after winning six of nine points. SUNY Poly retook the lead momentarily, but Wentworth then took seven of the next eight, thanks to two kills and two aces from Oshman. Not to be outdone, the Wildcats won five of six points to get within a point late at 23-22, the Leopards were able to hold off the push and take a 2-0 set lead.

Wentworth once again fell behind to start the third, as SUNY Poly took a 6-3 advantage and eventually built a lead of four points. Kills by Waga and McLane, as well as two more from Oshman got the Leopards within two points at 14-12. The teams traded points throughout the middle of the set, and the Wildcats still held a three point lead late in the set at 20-17. But Wentworth came on strong at the end, as LaBouliere and Stockton got kills as part of six straight Leopard points, giving the visitors a 23-20 lead. Following a point from SUNY Poly to cut the lead to two, LaBouliere and Oshman gained the final two kills to give Wentworth a 25-21 win and close out the match.

Oshman had 12 kills and seven digs to lead the Leopards in the second match, and McLane picked up six finishers. Adams added 21 more assists in match two as well.

THE SERIES:

The Leopards and Golden Flyers had their seventh all-time meeting. Nazareth holds a 4-3 lead in the series. This was the 10^th meeting for Wentworth and SUNY Poly. The Leopards now lead the series 10-0.

NEXT UP:

The Leopards are back at it with two more match tomorrow, first going up against Mount St. Joseph University at 11:00 a.m., then taking on Baruch College at 1:00 p.m.

For the latest on Wentworth Athletics, follow the Leopards via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Wentworth Leopards "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.