Thompson, Cao Lead Women's Volleyball to Third-Straight Win Against Anchormen

BOSTON, Mass. – The Wentworth Institute of Technology's women's volleyball team continued its dominant success when they swept Rhode Island College on Thursday night in non-conference play. Wentworth has now won five of their last six matches.

RECORDS:

• Wentworth (13-8, 5-1 CCC)
• Rhode Island College (5-13)

WENTWORTH STAT LEADERS:

• Kills – Ashley Cao, 12; Ema Thompson, 10; Helen Barthe, 6
• Assists – Lexi Zabloudil, 22; Ashley Cao, 13
• Aces – Megan Davies, 5; Lexi Zabloudil, 5
• Digs – Megan Davies, 10; Peyton Tague, 8; Ema Thompson, 6
• Blocks – Riley Schoonmaker, 3

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The first set began with the Anchormen taking the first point of the match. However, sophomore Helen Barthe (Blythewood, S.C.) answered with a kill of her own, tying the score at one apiece. Errors for the Anchormen put them behind the eight-ball and a kill from sophomore Ashley Cao (Morrisville, N.C.) extended the Leopards lead to 8-2. Two-straight kills from sophomore Ema Thompson (Lewiston, Idaho) extended the Leopards advantage to 16-4. Thompson, Barthe, sophomore Abby Maher (North Granby, Conn.), and freshman Riley Schoonmaker (Montgomery, N.Y.) picked up a handful of kills in the following sets, making the score 23-8. A few errors for the Anchormen gave Wentworth the 25-8 win and 1-0 match lead.
• A kill by Barthe separated the Leopards from their opposition by a 3-2 score early in the second set. Another kill by Thompson kept Wentworth ahead 6-5. A kill by freshman Genevieve Thornton (Springfield, Mo.) knotted a tight set up at 11 points aside. The Leopards continued to battle with RIC and did so following a kill from freshman Shannon Raftery (Cumberland, R.I.). Errors mounted for the Anchormen in the final volleys of the set, giving the Leopards a 25-17 win and a 2-0 match advantage.
• Kills from Barthe and Cao kept the Leopards rolling into the third set, putting them ahead 4-1.  Errors on both sides of the net then kept the set tighter. Kills from Schoonmaker, Thompson, and Cao kept the Leopards clawing to gain some separation, resulting in a 13-10 lead. Barthe continued her strong showing with another kill to make the lead 15-11. The Anchormen began gaining some confidence as senior Amelia Murphy (North Attleboro, Mass.) inched closer and closer to the 1,000 kill milestone in her career. She ended the match with 999 after notching eight kills in the contest. Kills from Cao and Thompson, who dominated the court all match long, gave Wentworth a 25-17 win and a 3-0 match victory.

THE SERIES:

• Tonight marked the sixth time the two teams have met. Wentworth leads the all-time series, 4-2.

NEXT UP:

• Wentworth travels to Endicott to play the Gulls on Saturday afternoon in a CCC matchup.

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