Women's Volleyball Prevails in Home Opener

BOSTON, Mass. – Sophomore Helen Barthe (Blythewood, S.C.) put down 16 kills and had nine digs and senior Viviann Goulet (North Kingstown, R.I.) had 13 kills and a pair of blocks as the Wentworth Institute of Technology women's volleyball team evened its record at 3-3 with a 3-2 win over UMass Dartmouth.

RECORDS:

• UMass Dartmouth (3-2)
• Wentworth (3-3)

WENTWORTH STAT LEADERS:

• Kills – Helen Barthe, 16; Viviann Goulet, 13; Ema Thompson, 9
• Assists – Lexi Zabloudil, 28; Ashley Cao, 18
• Aces – Ashley Cao, 3; Zabloudil, 2; Peyton Tague, 2
• Digs – Peyton Tague, 24; Helen Barthe 9
• Blocks – Riley Waggoner, 3; Viviann Goulet, 2

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Wentworth came out of the gates, taking a 7-2 lead on a senior Riley Waggoner (Simi Valley, Calif.) ace and increasing its lead to 14-8 on a kill from Goulet. UMass Dartmouth scored the next three points, pulling to within three at 14-11 and, after back-to-back errors, were down by two (16-14). The Leopards used a 6-2 run to take a 22-16 lead after a Corsair error and pulled away for the 25-18 win.
• UMass Dartmouth hit .300 in the second set and forced Wentworth to hit -.125, while evening the match with a 25-13 win. The Corsairs took a 10-4 lead before a kill from Barthe cut the lead to 14-10. However, the visitors closed out the set on an 11-3 run.
• Fifteen ties and six lead changes were included in a wild third set, the highest scoring set in the rally scoring era. UMass Dartmouth held an 11-6 lead before a kill from Goulet closed the gap to 12-10. The Corsairs held the lead until sophomore Ema Thompson (Lewiston, Idaho) and sophomore Ashley Cao (Morrisville, N.C.) served an ace, which tied the set at 23-all. From there, the set went back and forth with each team staving off set point, which included when Wentworth had a 35-34 lead and UMass Dartmouth tied the set on a service error. A service error gave Wentworth set point and Thompson put down a kill for a the 37-35, marathon win. The Leopards hit .347 in the set.
• The Leopards took an early, 5-3 lead before UMass Dartmouth rolled off five straight points and eventually held a 15-7 lead. A 5-2 spurt pulled Wentworth to within 17-12 after a kill from Goulet, however, that was as close as the Black & Gold would come as UMass Dartmouth forced a deciding set with a 25-19 win.
• For the fourth time this season, Wentworth went to five sets and, for the second straight five-set match, the Leopards emerged victorious. Wentworth took a 6-3 lead after a Corsair setting error and, leading 8-6, got three straight kills from Thompson to take an 11-6 lead. Barther put an exclamation point on the night when she put down a match-ending kill as the Leopards prevailed, 3-2, with a 15-7 win.

THE SERIES:

• Tonight was the 16th all-time meeting between the two teams. UMass Dartmouth leads 10-6.

NEXT UP:

• Wentworth hosts Emmanuel on Thursday night.

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