WORCESTER -- WPI honored seniors
Zeala VanDamme (San Diego, CA),
Kylie Welcher (Los Angeles, CA) and
Taylor Simpson (Ashland, MA) prior to Saturday's Senior Day match, then celebrated with a convincing 3-0 NEWMAC victory over visiting Clark inside Harrington Auditorium.
The Engineers (8-7, 2-2 NEWMAC) controlled the match from start to finish, posting victories of 25-13, 25-15 and 25-17. The Cougars slipped to 4-8 overall and 0-4 in conference play.
Bridget Spees (Saint Johns, FL) paced the Crimson and Gray with nine kills, three aces and five digs, while
Niki Szavuly (Woodinville, WA) added eight kills while hitting .467 and matched Spees with three aces.
Olivia Hutchinson (Erie, PA) contributed six kills without committing an attack error, hitting .600 for the afternoon, while
Zeala VanDamme (San Diego, CA) chipped in six kills and a block.
WPI jumped out to a 15-5 advantage in the opening set behind a dominant serving run from Spees. The senior captain recorded three aces during the stretch as the Engineers built a 10-point cushion. Clark trimmed the deficit to 17-7, but WPI answered with six of the next seven points and closed out the frame, 25-13.
The second set remained competitive early before the Engineers began to pull away. WPI led 8-5 before Clark closed within 10-9, but the Crimson and Gray responded with five straight points to establish a 15-9 advantage. Szavuly and VanDamme provided kills during the run, and WPI eventually pushed the margin to 20-11 before taking the set, 25-15.
Clark grabbed a 7-5 lead in the third set, but WPI answered with a seven-point surge to take a 12-7 advantage. Szavuly sparked the comeback with a pair of aces, while kills from
Amelia Lynch (Charlottesville, VA), Spees and VanDamme helped the Engineers seize control. Clark later pulled within 20-16, but WPI scored four of the next five points before closing out the sweep, 25-17.
Lynch finished with 13 assists and three block assists, while
Lauren Boycourt (San Diego, CA) added 10 assists and six digs.
Jennah DiMartino (Mission Viejo, CA) led the defensive effort with 13 digs, while Simpson recorded six digs in her Senior Day appearance.
Clark was led by
Isabella Alcott (Maple Grove, MN), who registered 14 kills and 13 digs.
Katelyn Williams (Morristown, NJ) added six kills and seven digs, while
Harper Chinn (Mamaroneck, NY) collected 14 digs.
As a team, WPI hit .295 for the match, recording 33 kills against just seven errors. The Engineers also registered 10 aces, 46 digs and four total blocks while limiting Clark to a .065 hitting percentage.
Both teams continue NEWMAC play on Tuesday. WPI heads to Northampton to face Smith, while Clark welcomes Mount Holyoke to Worcester.
