NEWTON, Mass. – Mount Ida College got five kills apiece from James Ames (W. Hartford, Conn.) and Dennis Miranda (Havana, Cuba), but were overwhelmed by the Wentworth Leopards, who took a 3-0 victory in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's volleyball action on Thursday evening at Mount Ida Athletic Center.
Mount Ida dropped to 5-20 (0-12 GNAC) after falling by sets scores of 25-12, 25-13 and 25-17.
The Leopards were led by a game-high 11 kills from freshman Sean Mullen (Longwood, Fla.) and improved to 21-6 on the year and 10-3 in the conference.
Wentworth got off to a fast start in both the first and second sets. They ran off an 8-1 run to start the night, capped by two service aces from Mullen, who had five in the match. The Leopards continued to lead by ten points until a 6-0 run put them up 24-10 and on the brink of a 1-0 lead, which they claimed on a Mustang blocking error.
Two kills by Mullen early in the second set helped the visitors to a 6-0 lead, which they stretched to 15-4 thanks to a kill by Jon Roat (Macedon, N.Y.), one of his three on the evening. Collin Sabin (Walworth, N.Y.) had six kills in the Wentworth victory, and he slammed home a point to cap the second set for WIT.
The Mustangs led the third set 2-1 after a kill by Ames and a service error, but a quick 6-1 run put Wentworth back in front. They extended their lead to 18-9 and used kills by Mullen and Sabin to help close out the 25-17 win.
Mount Ida junior Michael McCullough (Southborough, Mass.) piled up 15 assists and led the team with seven digs, while Kalyn Smithson (Vilseck, Germany) and Peter Griffenkranz (Deer Park, N.Y.) added three kills apiece, with Smithson serving one of Mount Ida's four aces.
Mustang senior Michael Templeton (Charlestwon, N.H.) added two kills and a dig in the loss.
Sophomore Paul Cooke (Ridgefield, Conn.) ran the offense for Wentworth, totaling 28 assists and an ace, while classmate Mike Hansen (Rochester, N.Y.) pitched in five kills and was in on six blocks, one of them a solo rejection.
Mount Ida closes out their 2014-15 season on Saturday when they host a GNAC tri-match and celebrate Senior Day. The first match of the day is set for 10:00 AM against Johnson & Wales, with Emmanuel also coming to town for a 2:00 PM game against the Mustangs.
The Leopard's regular season finishes Saturday with a single match at Rivier at 1:00 pm.