WORCESTER --- Audrey Stroupe (Leesburg, VA) piled on a career-high 17 kills, as the WPI volleyball team served up a Halloween treat, battling back from a 2-1 deficit to top Wellesley 3-2 (25-20, 17-25, 20-25, 25-19, 16-14) in a key NEWMAC match-up at Harrington Auditorium. The Engineers improve to 11-12 overall, 4-6 in NEWMAC play, staying alive in the conference playoff hunt. The Blue dip to 11-12, 2-8 in the NEWMAC.
 
WPI took set one, but Wellesley battled back and grabbed the second and third to take a 2-1 match lead. The Engineers notched a convincing 25-19 in the fourth set to force a fifth, but Wellesley had set point late in the fifth set. WPI then battled back for three straight points to win the set and match and keep its NEWMAC Tournament hopes alive. The Engineers hold their playoff destiny in their own hands, as a win over Wheaton on Saturday puts them into the tournament.
 
Stroupe led WPI with her 17 kills, recording just three errors in the match to hit .424. Lily Eldridge (Danvers, MA) and Olivia Deckers (Marlboro, MA) each tallied nine kills, with Eldridge adding 10 assists and seven digs. Catherine Reynolds (Concord, NH) had a double-double with 30 assists and 15 digs, adding eight kills in the win. Jia Yazon (South Windsor, CT) led the Engineers with 21 digs and four aces and Victoria Escuer (Caracas, Venezuela) added 12 digs.
 
For Wellesley, Kate Giang (Corte Madera, CA) notched a double-double with a team-high 16 kills and 10 digs. Evelyn Hill (Rocklin, CA) also doubled up with 14 kills and 14 digs, adding three aces. Kate Salembier (Sierra Madre, CA) chipped in with 11 kills and three blocks. Madeline Zornek (Orlando, FL) ran the offense and also grabbed a double-double, putting up 37 assists and 10 digs. Kaija Kunze-Hoeg (Eagan, MN) added 11 assists, while Noelle Winn (San Francisco, CA) had 10 assists and four aces.
 
Wellesley had the hot hand early in the first set, starting the match with five straight points. The Blue lead grew to as many as seven points before WPI rattled off a 4-0 run to cut it to 13-10. Wellesley pushed the lead back to 17-12, but the Engineers answered with a 10-1 surge that gave them their first set lead at 22-18. The Blue were able to get a few points back late, but WPI continued to roll, finishing the 25-20 win.
 
The visitors evened the match at 1-1 with a strong second set, hitting .308. WPI scored first in the frame, but Wellesley quickly built a 9-3 advantage. The lead grew to 14-6 before WPI cut it to 15-10 with a 4-1 surge. The Blue answered with five straight points to push it to 20-10 and held off a late Engineers run to win it 25-17.
 
Another strong start saw Wellesley lead 6-1 early in the third set. WPI answered with an 8-3 run that tied the frame at 9-9, but the Blue pushed the advantage back to 13-10. Wellesley held on to the three-point edge until a late WPI run cut it to 20-19 on a Stroupe kill. That was as close as the Engineers would get, as the Blue closed the frame on a 5-1 surge to take it 25-20.
 
WPI tied the match at 2-2 with a 25-19 victory in the fourth. The Engineers had the early edge, but Wellesley came back to tie things at 7-7. The frame was tied four more times until WPI used a 3-1 surge to go up 18-15. Wellesley cut the lead to two twice down the stretch, but the Engineers closed the frame on a 5-1 run to win it 25-19.
 
In the deciding set, Wellesley looked to be cruising to victory, opening the frame with a 5-1 advantage. WPI battled back with a 7-1 surge, taking its first lead of the frame and going up 8-6. The Blue countered with six unanswered points to go back on top, 12-8, but again the Engineers responded, using a 5-1 surge to make it 13-13. After a timeout, Wellesley got a block to have and match point at 14-13, but after a marathon rally, WPI tied it on a Deckers kill. From there, the momentum swung back to the Engineers who finished it with a Wellesley attack error and a Deckers kill to take it 16-14 and 3-2.
 
WPI closes out the regular season on Saturday, hosting Wheaton at 1pm. Wellesley has a non-conference clash against Brandeis next, hosting the Judges on Thursday at 6pm, before closing out the 2023 season with a Seven Sisters match-up against Mount Holyoke on Saturday at 1pm.