Waltham, MA ---
Anastasia Kelnik (Fair Lawn, NJ) amassed a team-best 10 kills and
Preslie Jerebker (Denver, CO) doled out 15 assists as the WPI volleyball team fell 3-0 to Wentworth in its 2025 season opener at the Brandeis Invitational on Friday afternoon inside Red Auerbach Arena. The Leopards claimed the contest by set scores of 25–18, 25-16, and 25–20.
In the opening set Wentworth built momentum with a commanding 5–1 run midway through. Even though
Bridget Spees (Saint Johns, FL) and
Amelia Lynch (Charlottesville, VA) sparked a late push to trim the deficit, the Engineers couldn't quite close the gap, falling 25–18. The second set played out similarly. WPI battled to a 10–10 tie, buoyed by libero
Alana Harris' (Lowell, MA) steady play on the back line, but Wentworth responded with a decisive surge—winning seven of eight points via a mix of kills and well-timed aces—to close out the 25–16 win.
WPI's best stretch came in the third set. After trailing 18–17, the Engineers rallied behind a forceful block by Lynch and senior
Victoria Escuer (Caracas, Venezuela) that brought the bench to life. Wentworth answered with four straight points, though Spees and Lynch chipped in late kills to cut the margin to 25–20. Despite the late push, the Leopards sealed the sweep.
Kelnik swung .138 on 29 attempts while adding three digs and a block assist. Spees contributed six kills and four digs, and freshman middle blocker
Olivia Hutchinson (Erie, PA) chipped in sixth kills and three block assists. Lynch added two kills and three blocks, while junior middle blocker
Zeala VanDamme (San Diego, CA) provided a pair of kills and two blocks. At the net, senior libero Harris paced the back row with five digs, while freshman setter
Lauren Boycourt (San Diego, CA) and Jerebker combined for 25 assists, with Boycourt also serving up two aces.
WPI (0–1) concludes action at the Brandeis Invitational on Saturday, facing Roger Williams at 11am before squaring off with Regis at 1pm. Wentworth (1–0) matches up with MIT at 11am and host Brandeis at 1pm.
Box Score
