Box Score THE BASICS
Score: No. 5 Wentworth 3, Emerson 0 (17-25, 13-25, 21-25)
Records: Emerson Lions (5-6, 0-2 GNAC); No. 5 Wentworth Leopards (12-3, 4-0 GNAC)
Location: Boston, Mass. (Regan Gymnasium @ Suffolk University)
Date: February 28, 2017
The Lead: Despite a match-high 14 kills from sophomore Mark Piorkowski (Montclair, N.J.), the Emerson men's volleyball team were bested by the visiting No. 5 Wentworth Leopards in straight sets in GNAC action on Tuesday night at Regan Gymnasium.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- To match his 14 kills, Piokowski also registered four digs for the Lions.
- Junior Nick Rusk (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) tallied 26 assists, while sophomore Jacob DiTore (Salem, N.H.) and junior Stig Regan (Kailua, Hi.) each registered an ace.
- Freshman Diego Garcia (Honolulu, Hi.) recorded nine digs and sophomore Win Kittivatcharapong (Bangkok, Thailand) led the defense with two blocks.
- Alex Potts paced Wentworth with 10 kills, while Collin Ritter recorded 23 assists.
- Sean Mullen tallied a team-best two aces, Kevin McPeek had nine digs and Mike Hansen led the Leopards defense with three blocks.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET ONE
- Wentworth broke the 2-2 tie to pull ahead 6-2 after a string of four consecutive points that was capped off by an ace by Potts.
- Emerson earned the next two points back to come within three at 7-4 before Wentworth used a 6-0 push to give themselves an nine-point cushion at 13-4.
- The Lions kept within six of the Leopards at 15-9 on a kill by Piorkowski before the Leopards tacked on three straight points to push their lead to 20-10.
- Wentworth held an eight point advantage over Emerson until two straight points from the Lions helped them close within seven at 24-17, but a Potts swing closed out the 25-17 win for the Leopards.
SET TWO
- Emerson began the second frame with a 4-2 edge over Wentworth on a Piorkowski kill before the Leopards erased their two-point deficit on a five-point push that was capped off on a kill by Jake Reed to regain the 7-4 lead.
- The Lions answered with the next three of five points to remain within two at 9-7, but the Leopards embarked on a 6-1 streak to extend its lead to 15-8 on a Mullen ace.
- Another extensive 6-0 streak by Wentworth allowed them to increase their lead into double digits at 11 to put the score at 20-9.
- Despite Emerson tacking on three final points to put the score at 23-13, a kill by Hansen and Lions attack error allowed Wentworth to take the second set, 25-13.
SET THREE
- After the set began with Emerson and Wentworth exchanging the lead, it was the Leopards who snapped the 6-all tie to go in front 9-6 after a streak of three straight.
- Emerson closed within one of Wentworth at 9-8 on a swing by Garcia and a Leopards attack error.
- Wentworth started to pull away from Emerson and tacked on another trio of points to gain the four-point edge at 12-8.
- The Lions never let the Leopards get too comfortable and closed the gap to one on a 5-2 run to put the score at 14-13.
- Once again, Wentworth put its lead back up at four at 17-13 as Emerson responded with the next pair of scores to come within two at 17-15.
- Emerson tacked on a streak of three points to cut Wentworth's lead down to 24-21 on a Leopards attack error, but it was Lions service error that gave the Leopards the 25-21 win.
UP NEXT
- Emerson enters its last home game on Thursday, March 2 before a short break and will host Dean College for a 7:00 p.m. match up.
- Wentworth returns to the court on Saturday, March 4 for a tri-match at Springfield against the #1 Pride at 2:00 p.m. and Hunter at 4:00 p.m.
STAY LIVE WITH THE LIONS
