DANBURY, Conn. – For the second consecutive season the Wentworth Institute of Technology women's volleyball team has captured a season-opening tournament. The Leopards used a 3-1 win over Simmons and a 3-2 triumph over RIT to post a weekend record of 4-0, en route to claiming the Colonial Classic Tournament title.
Tournament most valuable player sophomore Leah Rogoz (Woodridge, Ill.) averaged 2.73 kills, 0.40 aces, and 2.87 digs per set over the four matches. She was joined on the all-tournament team by classmate Claire Quick (Mission Viejo, Calif.) who averaged 2.87 kills and 2.20 digs per set while hitting .320. For Rogoz it was her second consecutive MVP award as she kicked off her collegiate career by being named the MVP of the 2016 Scranton Invitational.
WENTWORTH 3, SIMMONS 1
The Leopards picked up a win over their Colleges of the Fenway opponent thanks in part to recording 10.5 blocks as a team.
Wentworth opened the match with a 25-18 win and took a 2-0 lead after a 25-21 win in the second set. The Sharks, however, kept the match alive with a 25-22 win in the third set before the Black & Gold clinched the match with a 25-19 win in the fourth set.
Quick paced the Leopards with 12 kills and made just one error on 29 swings (.379) while recording six digs. Rogoz added seven kills, four aces, 14 digs, and three blocks while sophomore Samantha Lassiter (Rogers, Ark.) had six kills on a dozen swings with just one error (.417) to go along with five blocks. Senior Katelyn Carlson (Stratford, Conn.) chipped in with four kills and three blocks, junior Lillie Clark (Vista, Calif.) and sophomore Lexie Cambray (Bedford, N.H.) each had nine digs, and sophomore Maddy Tomastik (Portland, Ore.) and freshman Kayla Chen (Irvine, Calif.) each had 17 assists.
WENTWORTH 3, RIT 2
Wentworth wrapped up a perfect weekend by rallying from a 2-1 deficit to take a five-set win over the Tigers. The opening set featured six ties before RIT took a 20-18 lead after a Wentworth error. However, the lead would not last long as the Leopards rolled off seven straight points, the last six coming with Chen on the line, and took a 25-20 win. Wentworth held RIT to an attack percentage of -.233 in the set.
RIT evened the match at a set apiece with a 25-23 win in the second set. With the score tied at 6-all, the Leopards went on a 6-1 run, which included two aces from Chen, to take a 12-7 lead. RIT outscored Wentworth 17-7 and took a 24-19 lead after an ace. However, the Leopards rolled off four straight points – the last three with Lassiter on the line – to pull within one at 24-23. However, the comeback would be halted when a kill from the Tigers clinched the set, 25-23.
The Tigers took a 2-1 lead with a 25-14 win in the third set. RIT broke the set open with a 5-0 run which a 14-10 lead into a 19-10 lead. Wentworth scored the next two points to get to 19-12, however the Tigers scored six of the final eight points for the win.
Facing their first loss of the season, Wentworth rebounded to force a fifth set with a 25-20 win in the fourth set. The Leopards rallied from a 17-14 deficit in the set to take a 20-18 lead after kill from Quick. RIT pulled within a point twice, including at 20-19, however the Black & Gold closed out the set with four straight points to even the match at 2-all.
The fifth set started off as a back-and-forth battle with the Tigers winning the first point, before a kill from Quick was able to tie it up. RIT was able to string together the next three points, however a pair of kills from Rogoz made it 4-3. RIT made it 5-3 after a kill before senior Caroline Shea (Abington, Mass.) and freshman Makenna Salsbury (Bel Air, Md.) teamed up on a block to make it 5-4. That block was the first of four straight points for Wentworth, which took a 7-5 lead after an attack error. The teams traded points and, with the Leopards leading 9-7, Wentworth, which hit .455 in the frame, scored the final six points to close out the match with a 15-7 win.
Rogoz finished with 16 kills, nine digs, and a pair of blocks. Quick added 14 kills and six digs while Carlson, Lassiter, and freshman Caroline Rupp (Sayville, N.Y.) each had three kills and four blocks. Clark finished with 19 digs, Chen had 18 assists, 14 digs, and five aces, Salsbury had five blocks, and Tomastik had 19 assists. As a team the Leopards had 12 blocks and forced RIT to hit .019 for the match.
Wentworth is at Anna Maria on Thursday.
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Simmons
RIT