WORCESTER ---
Niki Szavuly (Woodinville, WA) erupted for 16 kills and five service aces while
Olivia Hutchinson (Erie, PA) added 14 kills as WPI Volleyball closed Saturday's home tri-match with a five-set victory over Plymouth State inside Harrington Auditorium. The Engineers fell to unbeaten Wesleyan in the opener before rebounding for a 23-25, 25-18, 25-20, 17-25, 15-9 win over the Panthers.
WPI moves to 3-4 on the season following the split, while Wesleyan improved to 6-0 with a pair of victories and Plymouth State moved to 5-3.
Match 1 -- Wesleyan 3, Wesleyan 0
Bridget Spees (Saint Johns, FL) paced WPI with 10 kills and 13 digs, but Wesleyan remained unbeaten with a 25-22, 25-15, 25-21 victory over the Engineers. Hutchinson added eight kills on .238 hitting, while
Zeala VanDamme (San Diego, CA) contributed four kills and three block assists.
Amelia Lynch (Charlottesville, VA) dished out 23 assists to go with three kills and two block assists, and
Jennah DiMartino (Mission Viejo, CA) collected nine digs.
The opening set featured 12 ties as neither side could gain much separation. WPI moved ahead 15-14 on a block from VanDamme and Lynch, and the teams continued trading points until the Engineers pulled even at 22-22 on a Wesleyan attack error. The Cardinals responded with three straight points, getting kills from
Siena Steines (Hinsdale, IL),
India Clark (Los Angeles, CA) and
Mila Chan (San Francisco, CA) to take the frame 25-22.
WPI grabbed an early 3-1 advantage in the second behind a Hutchinson kill, but Wesleyan quickly swung momentum. Chan sparked a six-point run that pushed the Cardinals ahead 11-5, and Wesleyan later stretched the margin to 17-7. The Engineers answered with a late 5-1 burst, highlighted by kills from Lynch, Hutchinson and Spees, before the Cardinals closed out the set 25-15.
The Engineers came out strong in the third, taking an 8-6 lead following a Lynch ace and a Wesleyan setting error. The frame remained tight through a 17-17 deadlock before the Cardinals scored three straight to gain separation. WPI twice trimmed the deficit to two, including at 23-21 following a Lynch kill, but Chan and Clark delivered consecutive kills to finish the 25-21 set and the sweep.
Chan led Wesleyan with nine kills and 10 digs, while
Katelyn Olin (Lafayette, CA) posted seven kills on .600 hitting and four total blocks.
Alexa Schnell (Corvallis, OR) handed out 20 assists for the Cardinals.
Match 2 -- Wesleyan 3, Plymouth State 0
Wesleyan completed its perfect afternoon with a 25-14, 25-23, 25-12 sweep of Plymouth State. Chan led the Cardinals with seven kills, while Clark added five kills on .625 hitting and Fiona LaCamera (Norton, MA) registered four kills on six swings. Plymouth State was paced by Sya McKay (Somersworth, NH) with 13 kills and Sydney Riley (Haverhill, MA) with 11.
Match 3 -- WPI 3, Plymouth State 2
Szavuly produced a match-high 16 kills on .275 hitting and five aces to lead the Engineers in the finale, while Hutchinson turned in 14 kills on a .379 clip. VanDamme added eight kills on .400 hitting and seven total blocks, while
Anastasia Kelnik (Fair Lawn, NJ) finished with nine kills and seven total blocks. Lynch directed the offense with 37 assists, and DiMartino anchored the defense with a match-high 20 digs.
Plymouth State jumped out quickly in the opener, scoring the first eight points before WPI began to chip away. The Panthers still held a 23-17 advantage late, but the Engineers mounted a 6-0 surge behind three Plymouth attack errors, a Kelnik kill and a Hutchinson block to pull within 23-22. McKay halted the run with a kill, and after Spees answered to make it 24-23, McKay struck again to give Plymouth the 25-23 win.
The Engineers flipped the script in the second. WPI took an early 9-7 advantage on a Szavuly ace and eventually stretched its lead to 18-12. Spees delivered consecutive aces during the run, while Hutchinson and VanDamme supplied key kills. Plymouth State never pulled closer than four the rest of the way, and WPI closed the frame 25-18 to even the match.
WPI carried that momentum into the third, jumping ahead 8-4 and later using a Szavuly ace to build a 19-12 advantage. Plymouth State made a late push to cut the margin to 23-20, but Szavuly responded with consecutive kills to finish off the 25-20 victory and put the Engineers ahead two sets to one.
The Panthers answered in the fourth, breaking open an 8-5 contest with a sustained run that pushed their advantage to 16-10. WPI could not cut the deficit below five the rest of the way as Plymouth State forced a deciding frame with a 25-17 win.
The fifth belonged to WPI. After Plymouth State moved ahead 5-3, the Engineers rattled off nine consecutive points to seize a 12-5 advantage. Three straight service aces from
Kylie Welcher (Los Angeles, CA) highlighted the decisive run, with consecutive Panther attack errors also helping fuel the surge. Plymouth State trimmed the margin to 12-9, but Szavuly stopped the rally with a kill before VanDamme took over at the net. The senior teamed with a Panther attack error for match point before hammering home the final kill to secure the 15-9 set and the five-set victory.
McKay paced Plymouth State with 18 kills on .400 hitting and 11 total blocks, while
Annalyn Cahill (Mystic, CT) added 15 kills. Riley finished with 10 kills, and
Danielle Emerson (Biddeford, ME) totaled 32 assists and three aces.
WPI returns to action Tuesday at 6pm when the Engineers make the short trip to face Worcester State. Wesleyan is home Friday for its NESCAC opener against Hamilton at 7pm, while Plymouth State travels to Bridgewater State on Saturday for a noon matchup.
