BROOKLINE, Mass. – The Wentworth Institute of Technology women's volleyball team split a pair of matches at a tri-match hosted by Newbury College. The Leopards defeated Daniel Webster, 3-0, before falling to the host Nighthawks, 3-1.
Wentworth now stands at 5-12 overall, the Eagles dip to 4-13 and Newbury, which also defeated Daniel Webster, improves to 9-7.
Wentworth 3, Daniel Webster 0: In the Leopards' first match against Daniel Webster, senior Hannah Bailey (Plymouth, Mass.) and sophomore Sydney Meyers (Washington, D.C.) each recorded a match-high eight kills, sophomore Katelyn Carlson (Stratford, Conn.) tallied 12 assists and freshman Lillie Clark (Vista, Calif.) registered 15 digs. Junior Stephanie Nihan (Dracut, Mass.) recorded six kills while Clark also added five assists and Meyers totaled seven digs.
Sophomore Hannah Koehler (Bedford, N.H.) paced the Eagles with 11 kills, classmate Nicole Beard (Shelton, Conn.) tallied 25 assists and junior Madeline Roulier (Pittsfield, Mass.) recorded eight digs.
A service error in the opening set against the Leopards jumpstarted a four-point spurt for the Eagles, but Meyers and sophomore Caroline Shea (Abington, Mass.) halted the run with back-to-back kills to bring Wentworth within two points (6-4). Both teams continued to trade points over the next few serves before Carlson's service ace ignited an 8-1 run to push the Black and Gold ahead, 21-18. Meyers and freshman Sarah Hyndman (Encinitas, Calif.) each recorded points off the next two serves to push ahead, 23-18 before junior Jordan Young (Derry, N.H.) clinched the set with a kill that provided Wentworth with a 25-21 victory.
Wentworth utilized a four-point run midway through the second set with a service ace by Hyndman that provided the Black and Gold with a 13-11 advantage. Daniel Webster countered with an 8-1 run jumpstarted by junior Brooke Marcotte's (Nashua, N.H.) kill that pushed the Eagles ahead, 19-14. The Leopards rallied back with a 13-6 run, which include an attack error against Daniel Webster as Wentworth won the second set by a score of 27-25.
The Leopards secured a sweep of the Eagles with a 14-1 rally early in the third set that put Wentworth ahead, 21-8. A kill by Koehler helped Daniel Webster trim the deficit with a six-point spurt, but a kill by Bailey provided the Black and Gold with enough momentum to withstand a late rally before claiming a 25-18 victory.
Newbury 3, Wentworth 1: The Nighthawks and Leopards traded points throughout the opening set before an attack error against Wentworth late in the session, along with a kill by junior Kataya Sykes (Brockton, Mass.), jumpstarted a 9-2 run, providing Newbury with a 25-19 victory.
An attack error against Newbury early in the second set helped Wentworth push ahead, 10-8. Sophomore Maya Umoren (Quincy, Mass.) halted the run with back-to-back kills before both teams swapped points over the next few serves. A service error late in the frame helped Wentworth push ahead, 22-19. Young and Shea each recorded one kill over the four-point spurt, while Hunton added a pair of service aces, but the Leopards' momentum concluded on the next serve – an attack error – that resulted in a 6-0 run for the Nighthawks to secure a second set victory by a score of 25-22.
Hunton's service ace to start the third set resulted in a 10-5 lead for the Leopards, which ballooned into a 20-11 advantage follow a Nighthawks miscue. Newbury closed the gap with a four-point spurt, but a service error against the hosts provided Wentworth with enough momentum to capture their only set of the match by a score of 25-21.
Newbury regained momentum of the match early in the fourth set, jumping out to a 12-6 advantage following a kill by junior Courtney Banks (Corona, Calif.). Wentworth trimmed the deficit with kills by Hyndman, Meyers and Shea to pull within two points of Newbury. Both teams swapped points down the stretch, but it was a kill by Banks late in the session that clinched the victory for Newbury by a score of 25-22.
Bailey paced the Leopards with 10 kills; Hyndman added eight kills, while Carlson and Hunton combined for 32 assists. Meyers and Bailey each finished the match with 11 assists. Umoren led the Nighthawks with 17 kills; Banks added 16 kills, while Marlen Reynoso (Springdale, Ark.) tallied 50 assists.
All three teams return to action next week as Newbury College hosting Becker College and Daniel Webster entertaining Lesley University on Tuesday, October 6 with both matches scheduled to commence at 7:00 p.m. Wentworth returns to action Thursday, October 8 when they travel to Anna Maria College for a 7:00 p.m. start.
Daniel Webster
Newbury