Paxton, MA --- Sam Bircsak (Acton, MA) and Brooke Klepper (Miami Beach, FL) each hit .333 or better as the WPI volleyball team earned a 3-1 (25-23, 25-17, 20-25, 25-13) road victory over host Anna Maria on Tueday night in a non-cpnference match played in the Fuller Activities Center.

The loss marks the first on the season for the AMCATS, who fall to 2-1, while the win boosts the Engineers to 3-2.

The Engineers took the first two games by scores of 25-23 and 25-17 before the AMCATS rallied for a 25-20 win in the third game. The Engineers sealed the match victory with a 25-13 win in game four.

WPI had three different players reach double-digits in kills, led by Bircsak's match-high of 14. Jenny Wallace (Holden, MA) chipped in with 13, while Melissa Daigle (Norfolk, MA) added 10. WPI setter Shay Feeley (Franklin, MA) finished with a match-high 36 assists, while Kelly Rathje (Scituate, MA) paced the defense with 20 digs.

Wallace also had a strong performance on the serve, totaled five service aces in 22 attempts.

The AMCATS were led offensively by junior middle Jessica Goulet (Lawrence, MA) with nine kills. Junior setter Samantha Parker (Athol, MA) dished out a team-best 19 assists and had an exceptional day serving, as she totaled four services aces in 19 attempts without recording an error.

Defensively, senior Jacqueline Clinton (Walpole, MA) had a match-high 21 digs, while junior Brittany Jackson (Larchmont, NY) aided the efforts with 19 digs.

The AMCATS totaled 11 kills with just two errors in the third set to record a .321 hitting percentage. Anna Maria hit .024 through all four sets. The Engineers totaled a match hitting percentage of .105 with a game-high of .184 in the second game.

WPI hosts the Worcester City Tournament on Saturday and will face Worcester State in the Engineers opener at 10am. Anna Maria will return to action on Thursday, September 4th in a 7:00 p.m. non-conference game at Mass. Maritime. 

Release Courtesy Anna Maria Sports Information