Women's Volleyball Charges Past Colby-Sawyer

NEW LONDON, N.H. – Trailing 2-0, the Wentworth Institute of Technology women's volleyball team used back-to-back, 25-19 wins to even the match and outlasted host Colby-Sawyer, 3-2, with a 15-11 win the fifth and deciding set. Junior Riley Waggoner (Simi Valley, Calif.) led four student-athletes who had double figure kills with 14 for the Leopards, who won their fourth straight contest.

RECORDS:

• Wentworth (4-1)
• Colby-Sawyer (2-2)

WENTWORTH STAT LEADERS:

• Kills – Riley Waggoner, 14; Helen Barthe, 11; Devin Neal, 10; Krisila Hammett, 10
• Assists – Ashley Cao, 22
• Aces – Ashley Cao, 3; Megan Davies, 2; Peyton Tague, 2
• Digs – Megan Davies, 15; Ashley Cao, 10
• Blocks – Riley Waggoner, 2

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Wentworth found itself in an early hole, trailing, 6-3, before a kill from freshman Lexi Zabloudil (London, Ohio), two kills from senior Krisila Hammett (Boiling Springs, S.C.), and a kill from freshman Helen Barthe (Blythewood, S.C.) put the Leopards ahead, 7-6. The Leopards 15-13 lead on a kill from Waggoner before Colby-Sawyer came back to take an 18-15 lead. A service error followed bringing the Black & Gold to within two (18-16), however, a 7-2 Charger run gave the hosts a 25-18 win in the opening set. Hammett had six kills for Wentworth in the opening frame.
• The second set featured 18 ties and nine lead changes as the teams nearly played point-for-point throughout most of the set. With the score tied at 16-all, the Leopards scored four straight points, capped off by an ace from Waggoner. Colby-Sawyer tallied four straight points to tie the set at 20-all with senior Devin Neal (Loveland, Ohio) ending the spurt with a kill. Three straight Charger points gave the hosts a 23-21 lead but Wentworth responded with three straight points of its own to take a 24-23 lead. Wentworth led 26-25 on a freshman Abby Maher (North Granby, Conn.) kill, however, the hosts scored three straight points to go ahead 2-0 with a 28-26 win.
• Colby-Sawyer opened the third set by taking a 4-1 lead before a Waggoner kill capped off a 7-1 run to give the Leopards an 8-5 lead. A block, an ace and a pair of attack errors put the hosts ahead, 9-8 and the Chargers eventually pulled ahead with a 15-12 lead. A kill from Neal and back-to-back kills from Waggoner evened the score at 15-all. Colby-Sawyer regained the lead on a service error but Neal responded with a kill and the hosts made an attack error to give the Black & Gold an 18-16 lead. Wentworth used a 7-3 run to close out the set, 25-19, as freshman Ashley Cao (Morrisville, N.C.) ended the set with a kill. Waggoner hit .778 in the set, recording eight kills on nine swings and the Leopards hit .387 as a team.
• The Leopards led wire-to-wire in the fourth set to even the match at 2-all. Sophomore Megan Davies (Chandler, Ariz.) served an ace to make it 5-1 early on, and, while Colby-Sawyer pulled within two on a pair of occasions, Wentworth opened its lead to 22-14 after back-to-back kills from Maher. The Chargers got as close as four late, after a service error, however, back-to-back Colby-Sawyer errors gave the Leopards a 25-19 win. Wentworth held the Chargers to -.045 hitting in the set.
• While the teams traded points in the opening of the deciding set, a pair of kills from Waggoner, sandwiched around an ace from Davies, gave the Leopards a 6-3 lead. Wentworth extended its lead to 10-6 on a junior Viviann Goulet (North Kingstown, R.I.) block, however, four straight Colby-Sawyer points tied the set at 10-all. Zabloudil ended the run with a kill, which began a 5-1 spurt for the Leopards, who took the set, 15-11, to win the match.

THE SERIES:

• Tonight was the 23rd known meeting between the two teams and the first since 2010. Colby-Sawyer holds a 21-2 series advantage.

NEXT UP:

• Wentworth hosts Lesley Thursday night.

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.