WENHAM, Mass.—Gordon College Volleyball clinched a Commonwealth Coast Conference playoff berth for the first time since 2010 by handing visiting Wentworth a 3-0 defeat. The Fighting Scots had their second best offensive showing of the season with a team hitting percentage of .266, shocking the Leopards in straight sets.
Tuesday night's matchup between the schools had serious playoff implications, with the winner earning the sixth and final seed in next week's tournament. Wentworth held the slight edge in the standings, already earning two wins against Curry and Eastern Nazarene. Gordon's win over the ENC Lions on Saturday gave them a final hope at a playoff bid, despite a disappointing loss to Curry last Wednesday.
The Fighting Scots (12-13, 2-6 CCC) had the look of determination from the start, jumping out to an 8-4 lead in the first set before Wentworth was forced into calling a quick timeout. The Leopards would not get any closer than three points for the remainder of the set, as the Scots eventually point a 10-point cushion between the two squads, 25-15.
Maggie Risma (Hudson, Ohio) helped the Scots turn a five-point lead into a comfortable advantage thanks to four consecutive service aces toward the end of the set.
Wentworth (13-13, 2-6 CCC) took its first lead of the match at the start of the second set, winning the first two points on a pair of errors by the Scots. Gordon eventually caught the Leopards at 6-6 before building to a 10-6 with a six-point run. The Leopards were never able to get their offense in a groove, winning a point or two at a time while the Scots continually went on runs of several points. Leading 19-12 in the second set, Gordon closed the frame on a 6-1 run to put the Leopards in a 2-0 hole.
After going down 2-1 in the third set, Gordon went on a 17-6 tear to open a 10-point lead. Once again Gordon's serving, which has struggled at times this year, was on point with
Krystal Vander Ark (Santa Barbara, Calif.) keeping the Leopards' back line at bay. The senior won seven straight service points in midst of the long run. The Fighting Scots led by as many as 13 in the set before Wentworth tried to claw its way back, but Gordon was able to win the final two points from Leopard errors to claim the sweep.
Shannon Ponce (San Jose, Calif.) led the Leopards with 14 assists on the evening. She entered the night only 26 away from being the all-time school leader at Wentworth and will have an opportunity to break that record this next weekend. Hannah Bailey (Plymouth, Mass.) had six kills for the Leopard, while Sydney Meyers (Arnold, Md.) added three of her own. Libero Sam Curran (New Fairfield, Conn.) had 18 digs to pace the Wentworth defense. Jordan Young (Derry, N.H.) added a block.
Gordon's dynamic offense was led by
Faith Gerdes (Wall Lake, Iowa) with 11 kills and a .458 hitting percentage. Sophomore
Jenna Labbadia (Berlin, Conn.) pitched in 7 kills and a .500 hitting percentage, while
Laura Schmidt (Stuart, Fla.) had six kills on 16 attempts.
Joy Kimmel (Madison, Conn.) finished with 30 assists and three kills.
Risma led the Fighting Scots with 23 digs and four of Gordon's seven service aces on the evening. Vander Ark also had double-digit dig totals with 10. Gerdes and Labbadia combined with four blocks to aid the Scots' defensive effort.
Wentworth closes out its season away against Newbury and Regis on Saturday, while Gordon has two non-conference matches against Worcester State and Salem State before the CCC Tournament begins next week.
