BOSTON, Mass. – The Wentworth Institute of Technology women's volleyball team swept a pair of matches at home to remain undefeated (11-0) as the Leopards defeated Lesley (3-0) and Worcester State (3-1) in non-conference action Saturday.
WENTWORTH 3, LESLEY 0
Wentworth jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the opening set, thanks in part to a pair of sophomore Claire Quick (Mission Viejo, Calif.) service aces. Lesley cut the lead to 7-2 after senior Kaylee Deluga. Seven straight points by the Leopards with six coming on sophomore Maddy Tomastik (Portland, Ore.) serves extended the lead to 15-2. The Lynx scored the next four points to cut the lead to 16-6. Wentworth extended its lead to 21-6 as senior Caroline Shea (Abington, Mass.) and sophomore Samantha Lassiter (Rogers, Ark.) combined for a pair of blocks and Shea added a solo block. Lesley made a run to get it to 23-12, however the Leopards took the set, 25-13. Sophomore Leah Rogoz (Woodridge, Ill.) had four kills in the set with Lassiter adding three kills and two blocks and freshman Makenna Salsbury (Bel Air, Md.) recording three kills and a block. Shea had four blocks in the frame.
The second set saw the Leopards trail 1-0, however would roll off seven straight points and took a 7-1 lead on a kill from Rogoz. Lesley cut the lead to 10-7 on a Sarah Hollis block. A kill from Rogoz ended the run, however, back-to-back Lynx points made the score 11-9. Lesley cut the lead to 13-12 before four straight Wentworth points out of a timeout extended the lead to 17-12. Back-to-back Lynx points made it 17-14 but a service error gave the Leopards the 18-14 lead and the Black & Gold would take the set, 25-16. Rogoz had five kills in the set, senior Katelyn Carlson (Stratford, Conn.) had four kills, and Quick served three aces.
Looking to close out the match in three sets, Wentworth opened the third set on a 14-3 run. Lesley score the next two points, making it 14-5, however the Leopards closed out the match with a 25-9 win in the set. Rogoz was a perfect 4-0-4 in the frame, while Lassiter (2-0-2), Quick (two kills), and Shea (two kills) also contributed to the offense.
Rogoz finished with13 kills on 28 swings with just one error (.429). Lassiter added six kills and three blocks, Shea finished with five kills and four blocks, Carlson had five kills, Quick had five aces and 19 digs, sophomore Lexie Cambray (Bedford, N.H.) had 11 digs, freshman Kayla Chen (Irvine, Calif.) had 20 assists, and Tomastik added 14 helpers.
Sophomore Anni Abbruzzese had nine kills, two aces, and eight digs for Lesley. Deluga had six kills, and Tallin Goldberg had 17 assists.
WENTWORTH 3, WORCESTER STATE 1
Worcester State opened the first set on a 6-1 run with junior Lauren Murphy (Taunton, Mass.) serving five points. Wentworth battled back to come within a pair at 13-11 on a kill from Carlson. The Leopards would pull within one on a kill from Quick, however, three of the next four points came from the Lancers and Worcester State extended its lead to 23-18 on a kill from sophomore Stephanie Chapin (Hampden, Mass.). The Black & Gold came within a pair after a kill from Lassiter, however Worcester State held on for the 25-21 win. Rogoz had five kills and 10 digs in the set while Lassiter and Quick had three kills each and Cambray had 11 digs. Junior Emily Carens (Northborough, Mass.) had five kills for the Lancers.
After Worcester State opened the second set by taking a 5-3 lead, Wentworth used an 8-3 run to take a 13-8 lead when Quick and Lassiter teamed up for a block. The Lancers scored the next three points to pull within a pair (13-11) on a kill from Carens. Wentworth built its lead to 17-13 before four straight Lancer points made it 17-all. A kill from Salsbury, who would then team for a block with Shea, and a ball handling error made it 20-17 before Salsbury recorded a kill to make it 21-17. The run continued as the Leopards went ahead 24-17
And evened the match with a 25-19 win. Lassiter and Salsbury had four kills apiece in the set for the Leopards while Carens added four for the Lancers.
The Lancers took the first two points of the third set before Wentworth went on a 7-0 run, thanks in part to three block assists from Lassiter – including two where she teamed up with Rogoz. Worcester State crept to within three at 8-5, however, nine of the next 11 points went to Wentworth which took a 17-7 lead after an attack error. Wentworth's lead swelled to 20-9 before taking a 2-1 lead with a 25-10 win. Lassiter finished the set with four kills and six blocks while Carlson (three kills, three blocks) and Quick (three kills) also paced Wentworth, which forced Worcester State to hit -.188 in the set.
A back-and-forth fourth set saw no team lead by more than three points at one time. A kill from Quick tied the set at 9-all and sparked a 6-0 run which gave the hosts a 14-9 lead. Worcester State scored the next four points to pull within one at 14-13 on a kill from Carens. The Leopards responded with seven straight points to take a 21-13 lead on an ace from Quick and closed out the match with a 25-17 win. Rogoz had five kills and seven digs in the set.
Rogoz finished with 17 kills, 23 digs, and four blocks. Quick had 10 kills, two aces, and 14 digs. Lassiter tied a program record with eight assisted blocks in a match and also recorded eight kills while Carlson has six kills and four blocks. Chen and Tomastik had 25 and 18 assists, respectively, and Cambray had 23 digs.
Carens finished with 15 kills to pace Worcester State while junior Amari King (Lawrence, Mass.) had nine kills and 19 digs. Junior Allie Nolan had 30 assists.
Wentworth opens Commonwealth Coast Conference play at Endicott Wednesday night.
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Lesley
Worcester State