Courtesy of Wentworth Communications.

HOBOKEN, N.J. – In a second-round battle, the eleventh-seeded Wentworth Institute of Technology men's volleyball team (27-8) suffered a four-set defeat to the second-seeded Stevens Ducks (32-3), ending their remarkable season with a final record of 27-8, along with another Great Northeast Athletic Conference Championship and their second-straight appearance in the NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Tournament.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Behind 1-0, the Leopards knotted the first set at one on a kill by senior Hunter Oshman (Pennington, N.J.). Oshman later tied the score at 2-2 with another kill before notching two service aces to carry the Leopards to a 6-2 advantage. A kill by freshman Nicolai Bell (Moraga, Calif.) marked an 8-3 lead before the Ducks marched back. Ahead 11-9, a kill by senior Tristan McDonough (Shelton, Conn.) extended the Black & Gold's lead to 12-9 before a kill by sophomore Sam Etter (Massillon, Ohio) later marked a 13-10 lead. After a push back by the Ducks, a kill by junior Jacob LaBouliere (Pipersville, Pa.) marked an 18-16 lead and later, more kills for the junior marked a 19-17 and 20-18 lead. LaBouliere notched another kill to carry the lead to 22-21 before the two teams went the extra. Behind 26-25, two kills by Oshman notched a 27-26 lead. All tied up at 28 apiece, a kill and service ace by Oshman gave the Leopards a 30-28 set win and a 1-0 match lead.
• A LaBouliere service ace and Oshman kill gave the Black & Gold a 2-1 lead in the second set before another Oshman kill later gave the Leopards a 6-4 lead. Back-to-back kills by LaBouliere marked an 8-5 lead for Wentworth before McDonough and Etter kills marked an 11-7 score. An Oshman kill marked a 14-10 lead before the senior notched another kill to carry the lead to 17-15. Behind 18-17, a LaBouliere kill marked a 18-18 score before the Ducks ran away with the set, grabbing a 25-19 set and tying the match at one apiece.
• A kill by senior Colin Stockton (Hummelstown, Pa.) got the Leopards ahead 1-0 in the third set before Stevens grabbed a 5-2 lead. Behind 8-3, a LaBouliere kill cut the deficit to 8-4 and a service ace by junior Tyler Jack (San Jose, Calif.) cut the deficit to 8-5. The Ducks stretched their lead to 15-7 before a kill by Etter cut the deficit to 15-8. The Ducks continued to extend their lead and carry it to a 25-16 set win, giving the hosts a 2-1 set lead.
• Behind 3-0 in the fourth set, a kill by sophomore Josh Milke (Eastampton, N.J.) marked a 3-1 score. Behind 5-2, a kill by LaBouliere cut the deficit to 5-3 before the Ducks stretched the lead to 10-4. Another Milke kill cut the deficit to 10-6 before the Ducks carried the lead 15-10. Behind 16-11, a kill by LaBouliere marked a 16-12 deficit before an Oshman kill marked a 18-14 deficit. A LaBouliere kill and service ace by Jack dwindled the Leopards' deficit to 19-16 before an Oshman kill marked a 20-17 score. Behind 22-19, a service ace by Stockton marked a 22-20 score before the Ducks set to a 25-22 set win, notching the hosts a 3-1 match win to advance to the NCAA Tournament's semifinals.