BOSTON - The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's volleyball conference schedule opened Thursday night with the Emmanuel Saints falling in straight sets (36-34, 25-18, 25-10) to the No. 11 Wentworth Institute of Technology Leopards from Yosinoff Court. The Leopards move to 8-1 (1-0 GNAC) in the win, while the Saints drop to 5-6 (0-1 GNAC).

The opening set was nothing short of a thriller as the frame extended far into extra points, ultimately falling in favor of Wentworth. The Leopards combined for 20 team kills in the first, while the Saints totaled 19 team kills, including 11 for senior Trey Guest. Prior to winning the opening set, the Leopards were 0-for-11 on set points in the first frame, before finally breaking through on their 12th set point on a kill by William Biggs.

Emmanuel again stared down the challenge by the No. 11 Leopards, as the home side jumped out to an early 12-8 lead in the second. But on a service run by Benjamin Moughton, the Leopards went on an 8-0 surge, including a pair of aces by Moughton, giving Wentworth a 16-12 edge. The Saints managed to cut the deficit to a pair, late in the set, but the Leopards closed the door on any comeback, finishing the second with five of the last six points, on the way to a 25-18 set win.

The third set belonged to Wentworth from the jump as 10 of the first 13 points belonged to the Leopards, earning them a 10-3 lead. That lead continued to expand as the visitors combined for 13 team kills on 19 attempts, while committing no errors, resulting in an .684 hitting percentage, as they finished the straight sets win with a 25-10 set victory.

Wentworth's Connor Foxwell led the team with a dozen kills, hitting .688 on the night. Alem Dubcak added 11 kills for the Leopards, to go along with seven digs.

Guest led all players with 20 kills, hitting an impressive .417 from the floor. Junior Cayson Branconier added six kills for the Saints.

The Saints take over a week off from play and return on Saturday, Feb. 21, with a match against Emerson.