Seniors Shine in Five-set Triumph over Gordon

BOSTON, Mass. – In thrilling five-set fashion, the Wentworth women's volleyball team downed Gordon College in its regular season finale by set scores of 17-25, 25-21, 18-25, 30-28, and 15-12 on Saturday afternoon inside Tansey Gymnasium.

The Leopards finish out at 21-7 and 6-2 in the conference before playoffs begin, while the Fighting Scots drop to 14-12 overall and 4-4 in the league.

STAT LEADERS

• Kills – Leah Rogoz (17), Claire Quick (10), Mary Zlotosch (9)
• Digs – Lexie Cambray (29), Leah Rogoz (22), Mary Zlotosch (16)
• Assists – Jordan Chapman (33)
• Blocks – Samantha Lassiter (3 BA, 1 BS)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After Gordon ran away with the first set, Wentworth responded by breaking a 13-13 tie in the second on a 3-0 run led by two services aces from Leah Rogoz (Woodridge, Ill.). The Fighting Scots, however, erased the deficit and took the lead for the first time in the set after a block from Ashlyn Gergins and Jacque Fitzergald.  WIT's Claire Quick (Mission Viejo, Calif.) started a 4-0 spurt forcing Gordon to burn a timeout trailing 21-18, as the Leopards held on for the win, scoring the final four of seven points.
• Gordon's Jenny Curtiss gave Gordon a comfortable 4-1 lead from the get-go in set three, serving two aces alongside back-to-back kills from Marla Batson and Amanda Synder. Wentworth chipped away at the deficit as Quick brought the Leopards to an even 5-5 score while Mary Zlotosch (Durham, N.H.) gave WIT a 6-5 lead. The set tied twice more on Gordon's rally, and Wentworth again stole the lead 10-8 after a kill from Jordan Chapman (Clearwater, Fla.), but Gordon switched gears and used a 7-2 run to build a three-point lead, 15-12, forcing a Wentworth timeout. Zlotosch brought the home teams back within two, 16-14, but it's as close as the Leopards would get as Gordon sealed set three on a 9-4 run.
• In the most dramatic set of the afternoon, Wentworth erased a seven-point deficit from the start after Gordon capitalized on four Leopard errors alongside two kills and an assisted block from Jamie Tafoya. Wentworth reached its turning point starting with a kill from Riley Waggoner (Simi Valley, Calif.), pulling within two points after a 5-0 run. Gordon build the lead back up to four before a Curtiss ace gave Gordon the 18-13 cushion, but Wentworth again pulled within two 18-16 forcing a Gordon timeout. Gordon used its second and final timeout after Wentworth used a 7-4 run to steal the lead, 23-22. Both teams battled on match point, as Gordon crumbled in the fading plays awarding Wentworth a 30-28 win.
• WIT hit a match-high .259 committing just one error in the deciding set. Zlotosch and Samantha Lassiter (Rogers, Ark.) jumped up for a big block that tied things up 11-11, as Wentworth then used a kill from Rogoz and another block from Rogoz and Waggoner to lead 13-11. Waggoner smashed a kill for the final offensive stat for WIT, as a Gordon error closed the season finale in favor of the home team.

NOTEWORTHY

• The Leopards celebrated their five graduating seniors before the match, honoring Samantha Lassiter, Leah Rogoz, Claire Quick, Morgan Whaley, and Lexie Cambray for their outstanding accomplishments and careers throughout their athletic tenure. The 2020 Wentworth volleyball graduating class will leave as its most successful class in program history, while Rogoz and Lassiter each hold all-time records with the program. This season alone, four of five have hit career milestones, including 1000 digs from Cambray, Rogoz, and Quick, while Rogoz and Quick each booked 1,000 points as well. Lassiter became the all-time blocks leader early this season and has 240 to her name.
• The Leopards have won the past three matches against Gordon.

NEXT

• Wentworth will await its playoff fate, and will host the CCC Quarterfinal on Tuesday with an opponent that is to be determined.  

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