Men's Volleyball Falls to Carthage in NCAA Tournament Semifinal

KENOSHA, Wis. –The #7 ranked Wentworth Institute of Technology men's volleyball team had its season come to a close Friday, April 22, as the Leopards fell 3-0 to #2 ranked Carthage College in the NCAA Tournament Semifinal.

RECORDS

• Wentworth (30-5)
• Carthage (23-3)

WENTWORTH STAT LEADERS:

• Kills – Jacob LaBouliere, 10
• Assists – Connor Adams, 24
• Digs – Phoenix Stebbins, 5
• Aces – Connor Adams, Colin Stockton, 2

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Leopards got off to a fast start in the first, winning the first four points and eventually taking a 5-1 lead as junior Colin Stockton (Hummelstown, Pa.) got Wentworth going with a service ace. But the Firebirds came back with three straight, including a kill from Matt Slivinski (Willow Springs, Ill.), who led all players with 13 kills. A kill by senior Connor Adams (Budd Lake, N.J.) helped the Leopards go up by two at 7-5, but Carthage responded with a 7-2 run to take the lead. Carter Schmidt (Germantown, Wis.) led the charge with one kill and one ace as the home team jumped ahead 12-9. Kills by juniors Hunter Oshman (Pennington, N.J.) and Alex McLane (Columbus, Ohio) kept it at a two-point deficit for Wentworth, who trailed 14-12. A pair of kills from sophomore Jacob LaBouliere (Pipersville, Pa.) brought the visitors within a point at 16-15, but Zach Bulthuis (Tinley Park, Ill.), who had 11 kills on the night, picked up a finisher as the Firebirds won three of four to take a 19-16 lead. After a Leopards timeout, Wentworth scored three straight to tie the set at 19, as McLane scored a kill and Stockton added an ace. With the score tied 20-20, Carthage ran off four straight points, and despite a pair of points by the Leopards, the Firebirds closed it out with a kill to take a 25-22 victory in set one.
• Carthage started hot in the second, winning the first four points and going on to take a 10-2 lead. Bulthuis and Slivinski both had two kills during the stretch, with Schmidt adding one as well. One kill each from McLane and LaBouliere helped Wentworth win three of four to pull within five, but Schmidt came back with two of his nine kills to make it a 13-7 lead for Carthage. The visitors then won four of five, as LaBouliere, McLane, and graduate student David Marsh (Springfield, Mass.) all put down kills to narrow the deficit to 14-11. Slivinski and Schmidt had one kill apiece to make it a five-point lead for the Firebirds, but they were answered by two Wentworth points, including another kill for Marsh. Despite two kills from LaBouliere, Carthage won five of the next seven points to take a 21-15 lead, as Bulthuis scored two more kills. A kill by Stockton and ace by Adams brought it down to a four point differential, but a kill by Slivinski helped the home team put the set away with a 25-19 victory after two late kills from Oshman.
• The Firebirds again started strong in the third, as two kills from Bulthuis and one by Slivinski put Carthage ahead 9-1 to start off. Adams picked up a kill for the Leopards, but the home team scored the next four to take a 13-2 advantage. LaBouliere had two more kills and Adams scored another ace, bringing the Leopards within nine points. Kills by Schmidt and Slivinski extended the Firebird lead back to 10 at 17-7, followed by two more kills from Marsh to make it an 18-10 score. But Carthage finished strong, going on a 7-1 run to close out the set and the match, taking the third by a 25-11 final to advance to the championship match.
• Head coach Evin Giglio spoke after the loss, saying "I'm really torn because I'm so proud of all that we've accomplished this season, and how hard our road was to get here to the final four. But then I felt like tonight we didn't showcase our best volleyball, and I think we're capable of so much more. We're so talented and I'm so appreciative of the hard work these guys have put in. It just unfortunately was not our best volleyball today."
• The Leopards had a good amount of success on the offensive end in the first set. LaBouliere, who had three kills on four attempts in the opening set, spoke on how the Leopards were able to produce early on, saying "Our passing was really good in the first two sets, so that opens up a lot of options. If we have all three options, it's really tough to stop all three."
• Marsh spoke on the challenges on facing Carthage's dynamic offense and how it was a tough task to slow them down. "That team was really fast". He said. "Coach just told me exactly what I needed to do, the biggest challenge is just keeping up with the ball."
• Marsh, who played in his final game Friday night, talked about the journey and how much being a part of the program has meant to him. "I feel extremely blessed." He said. "It's not every day you get to come here (NCAA Tournament) twice. I kind of just took a shot coming back, and it worked out a lot better than I expected. But honestly just extremely blessed. Couldn't have had it any other way. Every single memory of this season is definitely with these guys. The best times, even the worst times, somehow we found a way to joke about it again. They're my family. Every single game, every single practice. So how can I not just feel completely blessed?"
• The team now says goodbye to its four graduating players: Marsh, Adams, Phoenix Stebbins (Harrisburg, Pa.) and Drew Potter (Towson, Md.).

THE SERIES:

• This was the first ever time the teams have met, with Carthage holding a 1-0 lead in the series.

For the latest on Wentworth Athletics, follow the Leopards via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Wentworth Leopards "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.