BOSTON, Mass. – The Wentworth Institute of Technology women's volleyball team split a home, non-conference tri-match as the Leopards fell to Eastern Nazarene, 3-2, and rebounded to defeat Worcester State, 3-0, Saturday at Tansey Gymnasium. The matches were played as part of Wentworth's second annual Dig for a Cure Day.

MATCH ONE:  EASTERN NAZARENE 3, WENTWORTH 2

RECORDS:

• Wentworth (8-7, 2-1 CCC)
• Eastern Nazarene (8-1)

WENTWORTH STAT LEADERS:

• Kills – Helen Barthe, 13; Shelby Seage, 8; Riley Waggoner, 8
• Assists – Ashley Cao, 23; Lexi Zabloudil, 14
• Aces – Lexi Zabloudil, 5; Shelby Seage, 3
• Digs – Helen Barthe, 16; Ashley Cao 13; Abby Maher, 12
• Blocks – Riley Schoonmaker, 2; Ashley Cao, 1; Riley Waggoner, 1

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• A 1-0 lead for the Lions in the first set was matched by a kill from junior Shelby Seage (Cocoa, Fla.). After matching points, the Leopards stretched the lead to 8-5 with three-straight service aces coming from sophomore Lexi Zabloudil (London, Ohio). Zabloudil's fourth service ace was sandwiched by kills from sophomore Helen Barthe (Blythewood, S.C.), sophomore Ashley Cao (Morrisville, N.C.), freshman Riley Schoonmaker (Montgomery, N.Y.), giving the Leopards a 13-5 lead. Errors pampered the Lions chances to make a comeback while the Leopards solidified their lead with kills from Barthe and senior Riley Waggoner (Simi Valley, Calif.), earning the Leopards a 25-15 win and a 1-0 lead.
• A kill by sophomore Abby Maher (North Granby, Conn.) gave the Leopards an 1-0 lead in the second set. Errors from the Leopards then put them behind the Lions 5-1. Kills by Cao and Schoonmaker paced Wentworth back to a 10-9 deficit. The Lions sprawled out to a 17-11 lead before kills by Barthe, Schoonmaker, and Seage lifted the Leopards back to tie the set up at 19 apiece. Two finals kills guided the Lions to a 25-22 win and a 1-1 tie.
• The third set began with Wentworth jumping out to a 4-1 thanks to a kill by Seage to set the tempo. A kill by Barthe furthered the Leopards advantage to 5-2. Momentum stayed in the Leopards' favor, guiding them to a 15-10 lead capped by a kill from Maher. The Lions fought back to a 16-16 tie. The waking moments of the set stayed neck-and-neck until the Leopards drew away with a kill from Barthe gave the team a 25-23 win and a 2-1 lead.
• The Leopards opened the fourth set down 4-0. Three-straight kills from Waggoner brought Wentworth back to a 4-4 tie. The set stayed tight with back-and-forth play until the Lions gained some separation, leading 17-12. A kill by Zabloudil brought the Leopards closer in a 19-15 deficit, but it wasn't enough to match the Lions consistent kills. A service error capped the set at a 25-18 loss for the Leopards and a 2-2 tie.
• The fifth set began with a 2-0 lead for the Lions that was stopped with a kill from Waggoner. However, the Lions jumped back out to a 6-1 lead. Kills from Barthe and Maher brought the Leopards closer to victory, notching the set at six points apiece. The Lions welcomed errors and strong kills in the final plays to earn themselves a 15-9 win and a 3-2 match victory.

MATCH TWO:  WENTWORTH 3, WORCESTER STATE 0

RECORDS:

• Wentworth (9-7, 2-1 CCC)
• Worcester State (3-13)

WENTWORTH STAT LEADERS:

• Kills – Helen Barthe, 11; Ema Thompson, 8; Ashley Cao, 6
• Assists – Ashley Cao, 17; Lexi Zabloudil, 9
• Aces – Ashley Cao, 2; Helen Barthe, 2; Ema Thompson, 2
• Digs – Lexi Zabloudil, 14; Abby Maher, 11; Ema Thompson, 8
• Blocks – Riley Schoonmaker, 1

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• A 2-0 lead for Worcester State in the first set was matched by a kill from sophomore Abby Maher (North Granby, Conn.), making the score 2-1. The Lancers committed too many errors, giving the Leopards a 6-3 lead that was capped by a kill from sophomore Helen Barthe (Blythewood, S.C.). The Leopards continued to build the lead with errors made by the Lancers working in their favor. Kills from sophomore Ashley Cao (Morrisville, N.C.) and junior Shelby Seage (Cocoa, Fla.) solidified the Leopards lead at 15-7. Another kill from Seage and two more from Barthe extended the Leopards lead to 22-11. A kill by junior Abby Warren (Gilmanton, N.H.) earned the Leopards a 25-14 win and a 1-0 lead.
• The second set began with a strong service ace by Cao to give the Leopards a 1-0 lead. The Lancers came back to tie the set 4-4 shortly thereafter. Kills by Warren and Cao ignited the Leopards momentum, giving them a 10-5 advantage. The Lancers battled back until a powerful kill from sophomore Ema Thompson (Lewiston, Idaho) notched the Leopards a 15-8 lead. Kills from Barthe and freshman Riley Schoonmaker (Montgomery, N.Y.) extended the Leopards lead to 21-12. Consecutive kills from Thompson and Cao sealed the deal for the Leopards, giving them a 25-18 victory and a 2-0 lead.
• Errors plagued the first plays of the third set. Barthe and Warren combined for two consecutive kills to earn the Leopards a 6-5 lead. The Lancers moved the ball well and regained a sizeable lead before Thompson slowed their roll with another kill, making the deficit 14-13. The Lancers shuffled more points to the board until a kill from freshman Genevieve Thornton (Springfield, Mo.) tightened the margin at 17-14 Lancers. The final plays went back-and-forth with both teams salivating at the chance of victory. Knotted at 22 points apiece, Thompson took charge and handled the games' final two kills with style, giving the Leopards a 25-22 win and a 3-0 match victory.

THE SERIES:

• Today was the 26th meeting between the two teams. Eastern Nazarene leads, 17-8.
• Today was the 26th meeting between the two teams. Worcester State leads, 14-12.

NEXT UP:

• Wentworth plays Suffolk at home on Tuesday night in Commonwealth Coast Conference play.

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