BOSTON, Mass. - Senior outside hitter Julie Rahilly (Nashua, N.H.) tallied a match high 22 kills while adding three aces and junior Michelle Hobbs (Northwood, N.H.) chipped in 18 kills of her own to go with a match leading four aces to lead Wentworth in a thrilling 3-2 victory over Worcester State Saturday afternoon.
The Leopards jumped out to an early lead in the opening set at 14-7 off a Rahilly kill. The Lancers weren't able to cut the deficit any lower than five as they fell 25-20.
Wentworth was able to carry the momentum into the second game as they raced out to an 8-2 lead behind a trio of tough serves from senior Nicole Wetherbee (Pembroke, Mass.). The Leopards stayed consistent throughout the match opening up an 18-9 lead off a Hobbs emphatic kill. All four of Hobbs swings resulted in kills during the second game, giving her a hitting percentage of 1.000.
The Leopards stumbled in the third set while trying to close out the match. Worcester State had a strong offensive game combining for 12 kills on 26 attempts. Alyssa Jasper (Rockland, Mass.) contributed six of her team's 11 kills on the night in the third set alone. The closest the Leopards would cut the deficit was at 21-18 before the Lancers finished strong at 25-21.
Set four was a struggle for either team to gain momentum. After a 10-10 tie neither team would gain more than a three-point advantage. The score would eventually be tied again at 22 and 24. Wentworth would enjoy its last lead at 28-27 before three straight unforced errors gave the Lancers a 30-28 win, tying the match at two sets apiece.
Worcester came out strong in the fifth and deciding set, racing to an 8-4 lead at the switch. Hobbs went behind the service line with Wentworth trailing 8-5 and went on a tremendous run. The Leopards were able to tie the game and never look back as the Lancers scored only one point after the switch, with Wentworth using an 11-1 run to win in dramatic fashion 15-9.
Senior Becky Lebel (Milford, Mass.) led the offense for the Lancers with 13 kills while junior Emily Cox (North Andover, Mass.) tallied 9 kills. Junior Vicky O'Brien (Canton, Mass.) led all Lancer defenders with 18 digs.
Sophomore Sam Curran (Quincy, Mass.) had a match high 23 digs while Sophomore Shannon Ponce (San Jose, Calif.) doled out of 40 assists.
With the loss the Lancers fall just below .500 at 11-12 on the season. Wentworth improves to 8-13 and notches its first win in October, snapping a seven-match losing streak. The Lancers will travel to Mass. Maritime for a MASCAC conference match on Oct. 24 while the Leopards will get back to CCC action against Salve Regina at home on that same night.
