Women's Volleyball Opens CNE Play with Sweep of Western New England

BOSTON, Mass. – Kate McLane put down 13 kills and Riley Schoonmaker hit .455 as the Wentworth Institute of Technology women's volleyball team opened Conference of New England play with a 3-0 win over Western New England.

With the win the Leopards improve to 11-3 (1-0) while the Golden Bears fall to 5-9 (0-1).

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Wentworth opened the match scoring five of the first six points with service aces from Olivia Vaughn and Ainsley Gregson and a pair of kills from Kate McLane helping the Leopards' cause. On four occasions Wentworth opened its lead to as many as five, however, Western New England pulled to within a pair at 11-9. A McLane kill put the Black & Gold on top, 15-9, however, the Golden Bears rolled off six straight points to tie the set at 15-all. After the teams traded points, Wentworth used a 4-1 spurt and took a 20-17 lead on a Sydnee Smith ace. Western New England countered with three of the next four points to pull within one at 21-20 but kills from Schoonmaker and McLane made it 23-20. The Golden Bears came back to within a point at 23-22, however, McLane and Emma Sanders recorded back-to-back kills to give Wentworth the 1-0 lead with a 25-23 win.
• After Mika Swanson served an ace to give the Leopards a 5-3 lead to open the second set, Western New England sored five straight points to take an 8-5 lead. Trailing 10-9, Wentworth tied the set on an attack error, which started a 6-1 run and eventually gave the hosts a 15-11 lead after a McLane kill. The Leopards extended their lead to 21-16 after a service error, however, Western New England roared back with a 9-3 run and had set point at 25-24. A Swanson kill staved off set point and A McLane ace made it 26-25 Wentworth. After Schoonmaker recorded a kill to make it 29-28, the Golden Bears answered with a kill of their own to tie the set at 29-all. A service error and a Kate Koliopoulos ace gave the Black & Gold a 2-0 lead with a 31-29 win.
• Wentworth opened the third set on an 8-2 run with a Swanson kill putting the hosts ahead by six. A 5-1 spurt by Western New England made it 9-7 but Sanders recorded a kill to begin a 9-1 run, which included a pair of aces from Kinsey Lutz, and gave the Black & Gold an 18-8 lead. The Golden Bears got as close as nine (23-14) but Wentworth picked up the sweep with a 25-15 win in the third set.
• In addition to McLane's 13 kills, Sanders added seven and Schoonmaker five. Lutz, Olivia Vaughn, Gregson, and Koliopoulos combined for eight of Wentworth's 11 service aces. Vaughn also had 21 assists and 10 digs, while Koliopoulos had 19 digs.

THE SERIES:

• Today was the 30th all-time meeting between the two teams. Wentworth has won the last three meetings.

NEXT UP:

• Wentworth hosts Endicott on Tuesday night.

For the latest on Wentworth Athletics, follow the Leopards via social media on "X," Facebook and Instagram.