#14 Men’s Volleyball Falls to #7 UC Santa Cruz in Straight Sets

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – The #14 Wentworth Institute of Technology men's volleyball team fell in straight sets to the #7 UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs on Friday night. Cody Popp led the way with seven kills while Temmy Argynbay added 16 assists. Matthew Zegowtiz had three kills with two aces and Krister Leya added four kills, two aces, and one dig.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Leopards got early kills from Zegowitz, Popp, and Leya as the sides went back and forth in the early stages of the first set. UC Santa Cruz took an 11-9 lead with a finish from Riley Norman and maintained their lead at 14-11, forcing Wentworth into a timeout. Out of the break, the Banana Slugs pushed the lead to 17-12 before the Leopards answered with three straight points. UC Santa Cruz held off a late rally from Wentworth and took the first set 25-20.
• Zegowitz and Popp tallied kills to open the second and the teams exchanged the first few points of the frame. After tying the game at 6-6, UC Santa Cruz scored four straight points, forcing Wentworth into a timeout. UC Santa Cruz went on a run to take an 18-10 lead late in the set. Wentworth battled back, with Popp's finish making it a 24-19 game, but AJ Contreras' kill secured the set for the Banana Slugs and gave them a 2-0 lead in the match.
• The Banana Slugs took an early 4-1 lead before Popp tallied another strong finish. Nick Nayak kickstarted an 8-4 run for UC Santa Cruz which saw them lead 12-6 as the set approached the midway mark. Contreras' finish gave the Banana Slugs a 16-6 lead, forcing Wentworth into a timeout. UC Santa Cruz stayed in control and cruised to a 25-16 win in set three to secure the sweep.

THE SERIES

• Tonight was the fifth all-time meeting between the teams.

NEXT UP

• The Leopards take on #18 Baldwin Wallace and Wabash on Saturday.

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