#11 Men’s Volleyball Takes Down Misericordia, Sweeps Drew

DALLAS, Penn. – The #11 Wentworth Institute of Technology men's volleyball went 2-0 on Saturday after a five-set win over Misericordia and a sweep of Drew. The Leopards finish the weekend with a 2-1 record and improve to 4-1 on the season.

MATCH ONE: #11 Wentworth 3, Misericorida 2

Conner Foxwell led the way with 14 kills, hitting .722. Alem Dubak added 13 finishes while Matthew Zegowtiz hit .769 with 10 kills on 13 swings. Brayden Green tallied 22 assists, and Temmy Argynbay added 21 helpers. Mehki Burns led the defense with nine digs. 

Dubcak and Burns were also named to the 8th annual Cougar Kick-Off Classic All-Tournament team. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Misericordia opened an 8-1 lead in the first set after several errors from the Leopards. Wentworth rallied with kills from William Biggs, Benjamin Moughon, and Dubcak and an ace from Foxwell to make it a 14-12 game. The teams exchanged points until the Cougars took a 21-18 lead. Biggs and Dubcak tallied kills, but Misericordia took set one 25-20.
• Foxwell opened set two with a strong finish and gave the Leopards a 4-1 lead with another kill. Misericordia battled back to make it 7-6 before Foxwell and Moughon combined to put Wentworth in front 10-7. The Leopards maintained their advantage until the Cougars answered with a 4-0 run behind kills from Benjamin Clendening and Noah Reen to tie the game at 16-all. The teams exchanged points down the stretch with Wentworth coming out on top 28-26, thanks for a kill from Zegowitz and set-clinching ace from Biggs.
• The third set opened with back-and-forth action and the teams deadlocked at 10-10. After exchanging points once again, the Leopards broke the set open with a 5-0 run behind kills from Popp and Foxwell to take a 20-17 lead. The Cougars clawed back to tie it at 22-all before three Misericordia errors gave Wentworth the 25-23 victory and 2-1 edge in the match.
• Back-and-forth action continued into set four with the teams exchanging points throughout. Zegowitz, Foxwell, and Dubcak led the offense with strong finishes, but each point was answered by the Cougars. Popp's kill gave the Leopards a 20-18 edge late in the frame, but Misericordia went on a 7-3 run to take set four 25-23 and tie the match.
• Two attack errors by the Cougars and Dubcak kill put Wentworth in front 3-1 in the shortened final set. Turner and Foxwell extended the lead to 11-5 before a 5-0 run from Misericordia made it a one-point game. Kills from Foxwell and Dubcak, paired with errors by the Cougars, gave the Leopards the 15-12 victory in set five and the 3-2 match win.

THE SERIES

• Today was the fourth all-time meeting between the teams. Wentworth is 4-0 against Misericordia.

MATCH TWO: #11 Wentworth 3, Drew 0

Luke McQuaid had a team-high nine kills while Cody Popp hit .778 with seven finishes on nine swings. Eli Turner added seven kills, and two blocks and Nicolai Bell had six kills on nine swings, hitting .667 on the afternoon. Green led the team again with 16 assists while Argynbay added 13 assists.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Rangers built an early 6-3 lead before Wentworth tied the game 8-all with back-to-back kills from Krister Leya. Drew went on a 4-0 run to take a 13-10 lead before the Leopards scored eight of the next nine points to jump in front 18-14. The Rangers responded with six of the next nine to make it a 21-20 game. Turner and McQuaid tallied kills to close the set 25-22 and put the Leopards in front 1-0 in the match.
• McQuaid and Turner pushed the Leopards into a 4-1 lead to open the second frame. Drew battled back and the teams exchanged points with the score again tied at 8-all. Wentworth kept going to McQuaid who gave them a 14-10 lead. A 10-4 run by the Leopards set up Popp's set-winning kill, giving Wentworth the 2-0 advantage.
• Bell and Turner recorded kills as Wentworth jumped out to a 7-2 lead to open the third set. An 8-3 run by the Rangers tied the game at 10-all before the sides went back-and-forth through the middle part of the frame. An ace from Bell put the Leopards in front 20-17 and kills from Popp and McQuaid secured the set 25-20 and completed the sweep.

THE SERIES

• Today was the second all-time meeting between the teams. Wentworth is 2-0 against Drew.

NEXT UP

• The Leopards return home for a tri-match on Saturday where they take on Endicott and New Paltz State.

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