Men's Volleyball Defeats Emerson in Straight Sets

BOSTON, Mass. –The #9 ranked Wentworth Institute of Technology men's volleyball team got back in the win column Thursday evening, as the Leopards picked up a 3-0 road victory over Emerson College.

RECORDS

• Wentworth (16-4, 7-1 GNAC)
• Emerson (2-12, 0-6 GNAC)

WENTWORTH STAT LEADERS:

• Kills – Alex McLane, 11
• Assists – Connor Adams, 19
• Digs – Antonio Marino, 13
• Aces – Hunter Oshman, 2

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Despite a pair of early kills by junior Hunter Oshman (Pennington, N.J.), Emerson took a two point lead in the first before a service ace by Oshman tied it at four. Three straight points for the Lions gave them the advantage once again, but a kill by freshman Alek Reymond (Chittenango, N.Y.) and ace by senior Connor Adams (Budd Lake, N.J.) brought the Leopards even at 9-9. Two more kills for Oshman and an ace by sophomore Jacob Waga (East Northport, N.Y.) again evened things up, tying the score at 12. Trailing by one with the score at 14-13, the Leopards started to take over. The visitors won eight of the next nine points to blow the set open and take a 21-15 lead, capped off by an ace from junior Colin Stockton (Hummelstown, Pa.). Two kills by sophomore Jacob LaBouliere (Pipersville, Pa.), combined with one from both Stockton and junior Alex McLane (Columbus, Ohio), closed out the set as the Leopards held on to their six point lead and won the opener 25-19.
• After falling behind 3-1 to start the second set, LaBouliere scored back-to-back kills to even the set. The kills by the sophomore kicked off a 14-2 run for Wentworth that featured one kill and one ace by Oshman, an ace from sophomore Tyler Jack (San Jose, Calif.), five kills by McLane, and one from Stockton, putting the Leopards in command of the middle set with a 15-5 lead. Stockton, LaBouliere, McLane, and Reymond all added one more kill the rest of the way, as the teams traded points throughout the remainder of the second set. Wentworth took the set by a score of 25-15 and with it, a 2-0 lead in the match.
• The Leopards took the early lead in the third thanks to kills by sophomore Anthony Krzykowski (Feeding Hills, Mich.) and senior Drew Potter (Towson, Md.), as the visitors looked to close things out in straight sets. After Wentworth took a 6-4 lead, Emerson came back with two straight points to tie it. McLane and Reymond came through with kills as the Leopards won three straight, but the Lions came right back with four unanswered points of their own to go ahead by a 10-9 score. With Emerson still clinging to a one point advantage, Wentworth again found success by winning five of six points, as Potter and Waga picked up kills to help give the Leopards a 15-12 lead. The Lions won three of the next four to pull within a point, but Wentworth again responded, winning four straight to go up by five. Stockton, Waga, and McLane each put down one kill, while Potter added a service ace. Another McLane kill, combined with an ace from freshman Dave Arellanes (North Aurora, Ill.), put on the finishing touches as Wentworth picked up a straight set win with a 25-18 victory in the third, closing it out on a 4-0 run.

THE SERIES:

• This is the 23^rd time the teams have met, with Wentworth leading the series 21-2.

NEXT UP:

• The Leopards host a tri-match Saturday, March 19 against Dean College and Elms College. Wentworth faces Dean at 11:00 a.m., then goes up against Elms at 1:00 p.m.

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