Wentworth Captures First ECAC Men's Volleyball Championship

OWINGS MILLS, Md. – The Wentworth Institute of Technology Leopards captured the 2014 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Men's Volleyball championship on Saturday, defeating host institution Stevenson University 3-2 in the final. The Leopards overcame a two games to none deficit to earn their first ECAC Division III Men's Volleyball title in school history.

Stevenson jumped out to a 2-0 lead after taking the first two sets by scores of 25-22 and 25-19 before Wentworth came roaring back. The Leopards narrowly escaped elimination with a 25-23 victory in set No. 3 before taking the fourth set by a score of 25-16.

The fifth set was a back and forth affair that ended with a 15-12 Wentworth triumph. The Leopards took a 2-1 lead on kills by freshman Collin Ritter (Feeding Hills, Mass.) and junior Sean Donahue (Lincoln, R.I.), which sandwiched a Stevenson point from sophomore middle blocker Kyle Pottieger (Cinnaminson, N.J.). The Mustangs would secure the next two points to make it a 3-2 score before the two teams would exchange points for nearly the entirety of the set.

After tying the score at 12 points apiece, Wentworth senior outside hitter Ross Burdett (Needham, Mass.) connected on back-to-back kills to give the Leopards a 14-12 edge. After an attack error by Stevenson on the championship point, Wentworth completed the comeback and its quest for its first-ever ECAC Men's Volleyball title.

In his final game in a Leopards' uniform, Burdett finished with a match-high 18 kills and a team best 14 digs as well as two blocks. He was named the 2014 ECAC Division III Men's Volleyball Championship's Most Outstanding Player after recording 23 kills, 21 digs and three blocks in two matches. Freshman outside hitter Jake Reed (Arvada, Colo.) scored 13 kills during the championship final while also collecting 12 digs. Ritter turned in a superb performance from setter position, dishing out a game-high 48 assists while also tallying eight digs, three blocks and serving up a pair of aces.

Stevenson was led up front by Pottieger, who turned in a 13-kill, seven-dig and three-block performance in defeat. Senior right side Jon Martin (Lititz, Pa.) netted 11 kills and 11 digs for the Mustangs, while classmate Eddy Klepper (Carlisle, Pa.) also had 11 kills to go along with four blocks. Junior setter David Moler (York, Pa.) had 46 assists in the setback and also chipped in with five digs and four blocks.

The No. 1 seed Mustangs and No. 2 seed Leopards advanced to Saturday afternoon's final after posting victories in their respective semifinals. Stevenson posted a 3-1 victory against the No. 4 seed Hunter College, while the Leopards swept third seeded Penn State University – Behrend in the second semifinal.

In the first semifinal on Saturday, the Mustangs posted scores of 25-15, 20-25, 25-19 and 25-20 in their victory over the Hawks. Martin recorded a match-high 15 kills while also adding 12 digs and a pair of blocks. Junior middle blocker Kyle Wisner (York, Pa.) posted a .625 attacking percentage in the win with 11 kills on 16 total attempts. Wisner also netted a team-high four blocks. Moler handed out 56 assists and also chipped in with nine digs.

The Hawks were led by senior outside hitter Matthew Ng (Bayside, N.Y.), who registered 10 kills and a .409 hitting percentage. Junior Nino Hot (Bar, Montenegro) also tallied 10 kills to go along with two solo blocks. Senior Stanley Martinez (Bayside, N.Y.) dished out 40 assists in his final collegiate game while also finishing with nine kills and 13 digs.

In the second semifinal, Wentworth picked up the win by virtue of a 25-21, 25-18 and 25-15 showing against the Lions. Reed connected on a match-high 11 kills and added two blocks and two digs and Ritter distributed 32 assists in the win while also collecting three digs, one block and an ace.

Sophomore Josh Oertly (Cochranton, Pa.) and senior Nathan Steele (Cranberry Township, Pa.) led the Behrend offense, landing six kills in the setback. Senior Joey Price (Cranberry Township, Pa.) and junior Ty Sheehan (Cochranton, Pa.) added six digs apiece for the Lions. Senior Colin Ingram (Hilliard, Ohio) tallied 13 assists, while classmate Grant Kocher (McMurray, Pa.) chipped in with four kills and two blocks.

*Release courtesy of ECAC Atheltic Communications