Volleyball Sweeps Tri-Match Over Husson and Eastern Nazarene
Belinda Nwagbara
WPI 3, Eastern Nazarene 0
WPI 3, Husson 0
Quincy, MA --- Belinda Nwagbara (Santa
Rosa, CA) had a team-high 14 kills over two matches, helping
the WPI women's volleyball team to a pair of victories in a
non-conference tri-match on Saturday at Eastern Nazarene. The
Engineers defeated the hosts in the opener 3-0 (25-9,
25-18, 25-11) before taking another 3-0 (25-15, 25-13, 25-7) sweep
over Husson. The Engineers now stand at 20-6 on the
season with just three matches left prior to conference tournament
play.
The wins mark only the fifth time in program history that the
team has reached the 20-win plateau. The 1998 team won 21
matches. WPI improved its record to 18-1 in non-conference action
in 2009.
In the opening match versus Eastern Nazarene, Nwagbara paved the
way with a match-best eight kills. Becca Mattern
(Vernon, CT) had six kills in only seven chances for an impressive
.857 attack percentage. Elyssa Dorenfeld (Reading,
MA) also had six kills, while Becca Holmberg
(Madison, CT) recorded five. Holmberg and Joan
Porambo (Jim Thorpe, PA) led the WPI effort with 15 digs
each while Alex Rangel (Weston, FL) had 26
assists. The Crimson and Gray blasted five service aces in the win.
The Engineers kept their momentum going in the later match, also
defeating Husson 3-0 (25-11, 25-19, 25-16). WPI was
successful due in large part to its serve, as the team
recorded an eye-popping 14 service aces including five from
Holmberg and four from Nwagbara. Bailey
Sarber (Westerly, RI) led WPI's attack, recording eight
kills in the win, while Nwagbara had six and Holmberg had
five. Holmberg also led the team with eight digs,
while Kim Woodward (Clifton Park, NY) set the
table with 19 assists.
WPI returns to the court on Tuesday when they will travel to
Springfield to take on the pride in a NEWMAC contest at 7pm.
Story by Ray Cotrufo - Sports Information Correspondent