PROVIDENCE, RI – In their Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's volleyball opener, Mount Ida College put up early resistance but eventually were swept by Johnson & Wales, who prevailed 3-0 (25-16, 25-15, 25-16) on Wednesday evening.
Mount Ida drops back to .500 at 6-6, 0-1 GNAC, while the Wildcats improve to 10-9 (2-3 GNAC).
Pacing the Mustangs was Brett Southworth (Orange, Conn.), with nine kills and seven digs, while Tyler Shinkle (West Deptford, N.J.) was next with eight kills. Peter Griffenkranz (Deer Park, N.Y.) notched eight digs and Nathan Sprengle (Williamstown, N.J.) produced a game-high 25 assists.
Mount Ida pulled within two points at 10-8 in the first set, but rookie Zach Turner (Conventry, RI) came up with a kill then rattled off six points with his serve as the Wildcats took the first set, 25-16. Mount Ida had a 10-8 lead in the third set but the Wildcats went on an 11-3 run on their way to winning the set and the match.
Leading the Wildcats' attack was outside hitter Kanila Chang (Orlando, Fla.) with 13 kills. Donovan Kelley (Encinitas, Calif.) was next with six kills and two blocks. Setter Cameron Ponce (San Jose, Calif.) handed out 21 assists. Libero Alex Seda (San Juan, PR) had eight digs.
The Wildcats continued the trend of strong offense, hitting .382 while holding the Mustangs to .071. JWU also had the advantage for digs (31-26) and blocks (7-2).
Mount Ida heads to Newbury this Saturday afternoon for a tri-match against the Nighthawks and Southern Vermont College.
The Wildcats are on the road Saturday when they travel to top-ranked Springfield to take on the Pride as well as Sage.