Men's Volleyball Downed by #1 Wentworth in Colleges of the Fenway Matchup

BOSTON - Emmanuel College Men's Volleyball (12-7, 5-3 GNAC) fell to the nation's top-team and Colleges of the Fenway partner, Wentworth (22-0, 8-0 GNAC), in straight sets (25-20, 25-15, 25-21) on Thursday night in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) competition inside Tansey Gymnasium.

An ace from Dominic DeFerrari (Miami, Fla.) got the scoring started in the matchup between two neighboring foes. The Saints held on to their early advantage, but with the lead at 6-4, Wentworth rattled off three straight scores to take a 7-6 edge. The scores deadlocked at 7-7 and 8-8, but kills from Nicolai Bell (Moraga, Calif.) and junior Josh Milke (Eastampton, N.J.) helped seperate the home side, giving the Leopards a 12-8 advantage. Wentworth led for the remainder of the set, never allowing the Saints to get within less than two points and settling the opening frame at 25-20.

Once again trading points, a Brandon Dunz (Lake View, N.Y.) kill secured a 7-5 lead for the Leopards early in the second set. With a stalemate at nine, Wentworth exploded on an 8-1 run to open a commanding 17-10 lead. In the end, it was Bell who rose above the net to clinch the set 25-15 with a kill that put Wentworth ahead 2-0.

A kill from Jyles Amirault (Andover, Mass.) powered the Saints to a one point edge at 12-11 midway through the third set. The Leopards responded with three consecutive points to lead 14-12. Emmanuel kept it close throughout the remainder of the set and a Michael Shelley (San Francisco, Calif.) kill closed the deficit to one at 19-18. Wentworth was able to hang on to their slight advantage for the remainder of the matchup, earning a 3-0 conference victory.

Jacob LaBouliere (Pipersville, Pa.) and Benjamin Moughon (Mercer Island, Wash.) led the Leopards' attack with 12 and 11 kills. Milke added 16 assists in the win. Shelley finished with a match-best 13 kills while DeFerrari contributed 24 assists in the loss for the Saints.

Up next, Wentworth hosts Dominican (N.Y.) tomorrow night in exhibition play before traveling to Dean to face the Bulldogs and Elms in a conference tri-match on Saturday (3/23) beginning at 11 A.M. The Saints will return to 400 The Fenway to host a crucial conference tri-match against Lasell and Rivier scheduled for 10 A.M. on Saturday.