#1 Wentworth Defeats Emmanuel 3-0 in Colleges of Fenway Matchup

BOSTON – #1 Wentworth (8-0, 2-0 GNAC) defeated Saints Men's Volleyball (3-4, 0-1 GNAC) 3-0 (25-12, 25-22, 25-16) Tuesday night on Andy Yosinoff Court in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play. With the win, the Leopards maintained a stronghold on the number one ranking in the nation, recording their eighth victory in as many matches to start the 2024 campaign.

Michael Shelley (San Francisco, Calif.) got the match started with a kill for the Saints, but Wentworth went on to win seven of the next nine points to establish an early 7-3 lead. The two sides traded points until a massive 8-1 run from the Leopards extended the lead to 16-6. Wentworth continued to grow their lead throughout the remainder of the set and a service error from Emmanuel settled set one at 25-12, giving the visitors a 1-0 match lead.

A powerful kill from Benjamin Moughon (Mercer Island, Wash.) saw Wenworth establish an early 9-4 second set lead. The Saints battled back, chipping away at the Leopards advantage. A major Saints block later in the set leveled the score at 16. Shortly after, an ace from Shelley gave the home team their first lead of the set at 19-18, forcing a Wentworth timeout. Back-to-back kills by Jacob LaBouliere (Pipersville, Pa.) out of the timeout put the visitors back in the lead. The Saints would once again retake the lead through a Jyles Amirault (Andover, Mass.), but Wentworth went on to win five of the final six points to take the set 25-22 and a 2-0 lead.

With a 10-7 lead midway through the third set, Wentworth erupted on a 7-1 run to go up 17-8. The Saints never got closer than seven for the remainder of the match. A Nicolai Bell (Moraga, Calif.) kill secured a 25-16 third set win and 3-0 (25-12, 25-22, 25-16) match victory for Wentworth.

Jacob Labouliere was the match leader with 16 kills for the Leopards. Brandon Dunz (Lake View, N.Y.) added 10 kills and Josh Milke (Easthampton, N.J.) contributed a match-best 35 assists in the win. For the Saints, Michael Shelley led the way with 14 kills. Dominic DeFerrari (Miami, Fla.) finished with 22 assists in the loss.

Up next, Wentworth will compete in the Statesmen Volleyball Classic in Geneva, N.Y. for matches with #16 Misericordia, #18 Baldwin Wallace, and Hobart on Friday (2/9) and Saturday (2/10). The Saints will travel to Nashua, N.H. for a GNAC tri-match with Rivier and Emerson at 11:00 A.M. and 1:00 P.M on Saturday (2/10).