Men’s Volleyball Defeats Emmanuel and Benedictine to Get Off to Best Start in Team History

BOSTON, Mass. – The Wentworth Institute of Technology men's volleyball team added to more victories to it's perfect record Saturday, first defeating Emmanuel College 3-0, then picking up a 3-1 victory over Benedictine University (IL). The Leopards' 8-0 record is the best start in program history.

Wentworth 3, Emmanuel 0

A pair of kills from junior Colin Stockton (Hummelstown, Pa.) and sophomore Jacob Waga (East Northport, N.Y.) helped the Leopards secure the first four points of the match. After a point from Emmanuel, sophomore Jacob LaBouliere (Pipersville, Pa.) racked up four straight kills to give Wentworth an 8-1 lead in the early going.  Kills by graduate student David Marsh (Springfield, Mass.) and LaBouliere, as well as two aces from senior setter Connor Adams (Budd Lake, N.J.) were part of seven more points for the Leopards, who took a commanding 15-3 lead. One kill and one service ace for sophomore Tyler Jack (San Jose, Calif.), as well as two more kills from LaBouliere, who led the team with 13 on the match, helped close out the first set with a 25-10 victory.

Wentworth got kills from four different players in the opening portion of the second set, as LaBouliere, Marsh, Jack, and Stockton all collected finishers to get the Leopards out to an 8-2 lead. A kill by Waga and two aces from LaBouliere pushed the advantage to 11-3. The Saints won three of four to cut their deficit to six points, but a kill by junior Alex McLane (Columbus, Ohio) and an ace by junior Tristan McDonough (Shelton, Conn.) extended the lead back to eight points at 20-12. The Leopards were able to maintain their eight-point advantage through the end of the set, as kills from LaBouliere and McDonough finished off the second set with a 25-17 Wentworth victory.

Emmanuel took a 4-2 lead to open the third, getting kills from three different players along the way. The Leopards responded with a 9-2 run to take command and open up a 13-6 lead. McDonough picked up two kills and two aces during the stretch, while Jack, McLane, and freshman Dave Arellanes (North Aurora, Ill.) added one kill apiece. Arellanes and Jack later added one more kill each, and an ace from sophomore Anthony Krzykowski (Feeding Hills, Mass.) extended the lead to 16-8. The Saints came back with four straight points to pull within four, but two more kills by Arellanes and one from McDonough helped break the Emmanuel run and put Wentworth ahead by six. The visitors came back and won four of the following five points, closing the gap to three at 22-19. But an attack error from the Saints, along with kills from McLane and freshman Dylan Burritt (Newbury Park, Calif.) closed out the match as the Leopards won the third set by a 25-21 score.

LaBouliere led all Wentworth players with 13 kills, while Adams and Krzykowski tied for the team lead with 20 assists each. Freshman Jonah Kaye (Carlsbad, Calif.) had a team-best four digs during the match.

Wentworth 3, Benedictine 1

The Leopards started their second match of the day flawlessly, as they scored the first eight points of the match and cruised to a 12-2 lead. LaBouliere picked up two aces, and Jack added two kills during the run. An ace by Jack and kill from LaBouliere stretched the lead to 16-5, and four attack errors from the Eagles put Wentworth ahead 20-8. Waga then added two kills, and despite Benedictine winning eight of 11 points, the Leopards were able to hold on to their lead and close out the set with a kill from Marsh to win the opener 25-17.

Another strong start was in store for the Leopards in the second, as one kill from Marsh and Jack, and two from LaBouliere, jumpstarted Wentworth as they took an 8-3 lead in the second. The Eagles responded though, winning four straight to pull within a point. The Leopards then rallied for five of six points, thanks to kills from Waga and LaBouliere. Trailing 17-13, Benedictine won three straight to again get within one. But the Leopards went on another 8-3 run, this one closing out the set courtesy of a kill and ace from Jack, with LaBouliere and Waga adding one kill each to put the Leopards up 2-0 in the match following a 25-19 victory in the second.

Three straight points, capped off by an ace from Waga, gave Wentworth a 4-2 lead in the third. After coming back to tie the set at five, the Eagles won three of four to take a two point lead. An error from Benedictine and a kill from Waga tied it at nine, but the visitors then opened up a 15-11 lead after winning six of eight points. As the teams traded points, back-to-back kills from LaBouliere got the Leopards within one at 17-16, but the Eagles took the next two to go up 20-17. Down two points late in the set, Wentworth won five of seven, as a kill from Marsh tied the set at 24 apiece. But the Leopards could not finish it off, as Benedictine got the two points they needed to take the set with a 26-24 victory and trailed 2-1 going into the fourth.

Waga and Marsh scored two kills early as the teams played to a 4-4 score. Neither team was able to gain a significant advantage in the set, with the squads alternating points throughout much of the set. Three more kills from LaBouliere, as well as one from Waga, pushed Wentworth ahead at 15-13. After the Eagles won the next point, the Leopards took the next three to create some separation, as Adams picked up a service ace and Wentworth went ahead 18-14. Two kills from LaBouliere maintained the four point lead for the home team, and a kill by Jack was part of a 4-1 stretch to close things out, as Wentworth took a 25-19 win in the fourth to close out the match with a 3-1 victory.

LaBouliere had a team-high 17 kills in the match, and Adams added 37 assists. Waga led the way defensively, adding 10 assists.

THE SERIES:

This was the 35^th time that Wentworth and Emmanuel have met, with the Saints now holding a 22-13 lead in the series. The Leopards and Benedictine played each other for the first time today, with Wentworth leading the all-time series 1-0.

NEXT UP:

The Leopards return to conference play Thursday, Feb. 10, when they face Rivier University at 7:00 p.m..

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