Women's Volleyball Carries Momentum Through Nichols on Senior Day

BOSTON, Mass. – Freshman Emma Sanders (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) stole the spotlight on the Wentworth Institute of Technology's women's volleyball team's (15-5, 3-0 CCC) senior day as the rookie led with a match-high 14 kills en route to the Leopards' seventh-straight victory by way of sweep, this time over conference foe Nichols (11-6, 0-4 CCC).

Prior to the match, the Black & Gold honored seniors Abby Warren (Gilmanton, N.H.), Shelby Seage (Cocoa, Fla.), Megan Davies (Chandler, Ariz.), and graduate student Riley Waggoner (Simi Valley, Calif.).

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• After Nichols scored the initial three points of the first set, Wentworth got two-straight of their own, one on a kill by Sanders, to mark a 3-2 deficit. Behind 4-2, a slew of kills by Sanders, freshman Olivia Vaughn (Bolingbrook, Ill.) and Warren gave Wentworth a 7-4 lead. The two teams swapped scores until back-to-back kills by freshman Kate McLane (Columbus, Ohio) gave the Leopards a 14-9 lead. A kill from Waggoner helped continue the lead to 20-14 before the Bison cut the deficit to 20-17. A handful of errors for Nichols and a kill by Seage helped Wentworth claim a 25-19 set win.
• Down 2-0 in the second set, a kill and service ace by McLane knotted the score at two-all before five-straight points, two on kills by Seage, extended the Leopards' lead to 8-3. After a Sanders kill marked a 12-5 lead, the Leopards stretched the lead to 19-5 thanks to two service aces by Davies and a kill by McLane. Kills by Warren and Sanders handed Wentworth a dominant 25-9 set win and a 2-0 match lead.
• Two kills by Sanders and one apiece by Warren and McLane gave Wentworth a 4-3 edge to start the third set. The two teams traded points, working the score to a 10-10 knot, before a McLane kill helped the Leopards take a 12-10 lead. A kill by Seage later helped continue the lead to 17-13 before kills by McLane and Waggoner were part of a 5-0 run for the Leopards, giving the hosts a 22-14 lead. After a fight back by the Bison, back-to-back finishes by McLane and Sanders gave the Leopards a 25-18 set win and a 3-0 match win.

SERIES NOTES:

• The Black & Gold are 7-0 all-time against the Bison.

NEXT UP:

• Wentworth hosts Endicott on Wednesday.

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