Women's Volleyball Sweeps UNE on the Road

BIDDEFORD, Maine – Behind a team-high 11 kills from freshman Emma Sanders (Mount Pleasant, S.C.), the Wentworth Institute of Technology women's volleyball team (11-5, 2-0 CCC) held off the Nor'Easters of the University of New England (6-5, 0-2 CCC) on the road by a 3-0 score Wednesday night.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• After the Nor'Easters set out to a 4-1 lead in the first set, a kill by freshman Emma Sanders (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) cut the Leopards' deficit to two. Behind 6-4, two service aces from Sanders knotted the set at six-all before UNE set out to a 12-10 advantage. The two teams traded points for the majority of the set, with the Leopards eventually taking 16-15 and 18-17 leads thanks to respective kills by Sanders and freshman Kate McLane (Columbus, Ohio). Another kill by McLane stretched the lead to 23-19 before a kill by Sanders gave the Black & Gold a 25-23 set win.
• Behind 4-2 in the second set, two kills from junior Ema Thompson (Lewiston, Idaho) helped the Leopards back to hold a 5-4 edge before two service aces from sophomore Amanda Zweifler (Jersey City, N.J.) kickstarted six straight points for Wentworth, marking an 11-4 score. After a push back by UNE, two kills from McLane continued the lead to 17-11 before back-to-back kills by graduate student Riley Waggoner (Simi Valley, Caif.) and McLane pushed the advantage to 21-11. A kill from McLane ultimately claimed the Leopards with a 25-15 set win and a 2-0 match lead.
• Down 2-0, a kill from Waggoner cut the deficit to 2-1 to start the third set. Two kills from Thompson continued to push the score to four-all before UNE separated themselves in an 8-4 match. Two kills from McLane later dwindled the deficit to 12-8 before a kill from Sanders continued the score to 13-9. Wentworth marched back to take a 16-15 lead before a kill by Thompson gave the Leopards a 17-16 edge. Behind 23-21, a kill by Sanders cut the deficit to one at 23-22. The Leopards tied the score at 25 before grabbing a narrow 27-25 set win and a 3-0 conference win.

SERIES NOTES:

• The Leopards have won eight straight against the Nor'Easters, with their latest loss dating back to 2015.

NEXT UP:

• Wentworth plays host to Salve Regina on Friday 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.