WESTON, Mass. - Regis College was unable to control the offensive attack of Wentworth, the top ranked team in the country, as the Leopards defeated the Pride, 3-0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-18), Wednesday night in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's collegiate volleyball match at Higgins Court.
Joseph Perez (Miami, Fla.) led the Pride with six kills and six digs. Defensively, Eddie Djatcha (Lowell, Mass.) collected two block assists at the net, and Orlando Plagata (Los Angeles, Calif.) contributed five digs.
Wentworth (20-0, 7-0 GNAC) opened an 8-3 lead in the first set, led by Jacob LaBouliere with two kills and capped by a service ace from Ryan Roller. Later in the set, the Leopards put together a 6-2 scoring run, featuring two kills by Jacob Waga, to extend their lead into double figures, and then they closed out the opening set on two kills by Nicolai Bell.
In the second set, thanks in part to a kill by Perez and a block by Perez and Djatcha, Regis took a two-point lead, but Wentworth scored five unanswered points, led by a kill and a service ace from Sam Etter, to pull ahead for good. After a block by Djatcha and Brandon Valdes (Miami, Fla.) brought the Pride within one at 12-11, the Leopards rattled off an 11-3 scoring run and eventually clinched the second set on kills by Etter and Bell.
LaBouliere notched four kills early in the third set as Wentworth raced out to an 11-3 lead, capped by consecutive kills from Etter. The two teams basically traded points until Regis scored three straight points, punctuated by a service ace from Perez, before Matthew Zegowitz closed out the set and the match with a kill.
LaBouliere led the Leopards with nine kills, with Waga earning seven kills and a match-high 13 defensive digs. Josh Milke dished out 17 assists in the first two sets before Brayden Green took over setting duties in the third set and collected nine assists, while Conner Foxwell finished with three total blocks at the net.
Regis College (8-10, 4-3 GNAC) heads to Wilkes-Barre, Pa., for the weekend, facing Wilkes University Friday night, March 15, at 7 p.m. before taking on Stevenson University and host King's College in a tri-match Saturday, March 16, beginning at 3 p.m.