Men's Volleyball Defeats Lasell to Win GNAC Championship; Earns Second Consecutive Berth in the NCAA Tournament

BOSTON, Mass. –The #10 ranked Wentworth Institute of Technology men's volleyball team won its third Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship Saturday night, defeating Lasell University 3-0. In addition to the conference title, the Leopards earned the GNAC's automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Tournament and will be making their second consecutive tip - and fourth overall - to the NCAAs.

RECORDS

• Wentworth (28-4, 16-1 GNAC)
• Lasell (22-9, 14-3 GNAC)

WENTWORTH STAT LEADERS:

• Kills – Jacob LaBouliere, 23
• Assists – Connor Adams, 38
• Digs – Hunter Oshman, 8
• Aces – Jacob LaBouliere, Anthony Krzykowski, 1

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Lasell started strong in the first set, winning the first two points and eventually opening up a 7-3 lead. Jordan Shinaut (Peoria, Ariz.) had two of his team-high six kills, while Jan Baranowski (Wheeling, Ill.) added a pair of aces. Junior Hunter Oshman (Pennington, N.J.) picked up two kills for the Leopards, while sophomore Jacob LaBouliere (Pipersville, Pa.) added one of his game-best 23 finishers. Wentworth then got rolling and took command of the opening set. A 10-2 run was sparked by LaBouliere, who picked up five more kills during the stretch to put the Leopards in front 13-9. A kill from Brenden Jouce (Randolph, Mass.) pulled the Lasers within three, but Oshman then connected on a trio of kills, putting Wentworth ahead 17-12. With the Leopards still holding a five-point advantage, a kill by LaBouliere and attack error from Lasell made it a 21-14 lead for the home team. LaBouliere and junior Colin Stockton (Hummelstown, Pa.) then picked up kills, and LaBouliere finished off the set with an ace to give the Leopards a 25-16 victory in the opener.
• Wentworth got off to a stronger start in the second, as junior Alex McLane (Columbus, Ohio) led the way with three early kills. Oshman added two of his own, while LaBouliere and graduate student David Marsh (Springfield, Mass.) picked up one apiece as the Leopards took a 10-3 lead in the second, forcing a timeout from the visitors. Wentworth kept up the strong play coming out of the break, winning four of the next five points as the Lasers called for time once again. Lasell then narrowed the Wentworth lead, as Shinaut scored two kills and Dexter Thomas (Plano, Texas) added one to trim the lead to 17-10. A pair of attack errors followed for the Lasers, and senior Connor Adams (Budd Lake, N.J.) added a kill to bring the lead back to 10 points at 21-11. LaBouliere then put down three more kills to bring it to a 24-13 score, but Lasell came back with six straight points. Baranowski had two kills during the span, while Theo Zaharewicz (Bethany, Conn.) added one to cut Wentworth's lead to 24-19. But LaBouliere answered with another kill, closing the set out with a 25-19 win as the Leopards took a two sets to none lead with a wire-to-wire victory in the second.
• Kills by Marsh and LaBouliere were answered by two more from Zaharewicz, as the Lasers took a 4-3 lead early in the third. Two more LaBouliere finishers, as well as one by Oshman, put the home team ahead by two, but kills by Shinaut and Brenden Joyce (Randolph, Mass.) helped Lasell take a 9-8 lead. Wentworth then took the lead with five consecutive points, as Marsh and McLane had one kill each, while LaBouliere added three more to his total. The Leopards held on to their four-point lead after a kill by Oshman made it a 16-12 score, but the Lasers took three of the next four to cut their deficit to two points at 17-15. One more kill by Oshman kept the lead at two points, and with the score 19-17, Wentworth took control. LaBouliere put in the final three kills of his night, and an attack error by Lasell made it a 23-17 score to force a timeout from the visitors. After one more error by the Lasers, sophomore Anthony Krzykowski (Feeding Hills, Mass.) finished the match off with a service ace, as the Leopards won the final six points of the match to win the third set 25-17 and punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year.
• This is Wentworth's third GNAC Champioship in program history.
• Wentworth won its 28^th game of the season Saturday, tying the program record for single-season wins.
• Wentworth won its 13^th consecutive match Saturday and have won 28 consecutive sets.
• The Leopards earn the GNAC automatic qualifier to NCAA Tournament, and will be making their second straight and fourth overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

THE SERIES:

• This was the 50^th all-time meeting between the programs, with Wentworth now holding a 31-19 advantage.

NEXT UP:

• The Leopards now advance to the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Their first-round opponent will be announced at the NCAA Tournament Selection Show Monday, April 11 at 10:00 a.m.

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