Springfield, Mass. - February 14, 2015 -The Springfield College men's volleyball team split a pair of matches on Saturday in Blake Arena as it swept Hunter College before dropping a four-set decision to Wentworth.

Springfield, which was ranked fifth in the latest AVCA Division III National Poll, is now 7-4 on the year.

The Pride will next be in action on Friday evening when it hosts Rivier at 7:30 as part of the Volleyball Hall of Fame Morgan Classic.

Springfield 3, Hunter 0

The Springfield College men's volleyball picked up a straight-set win over Hunter College in the opening game of Saturday's tri-match, posting set scores of 25-17, 25-18, 25-16.

Angel Perez (Naranjito, Puerto Rico) was dominant in the two sets he played, delivering 12 kills at a .550 clip, while fellow outside Ryan Malone (Chicopee, Mass.) talled 10 kills while hitting .389.  Eric Johnson (Tustin, Calif.) and Luis Garcia Rubio (Bayamon, Puerto Rico) combined for 38 assists in helping lead Springfield to a .385 hitting percentage after the team racked up 50 kills.  Matthew Peretto (Vallejo, Calif.) was credited with a match-high 14 digs.

In the opening set, Springfield broke open an eight-all tie with a 7-2 burst, using a block from Jason Mascoe (Uniondale, N.Y.) and Sean Zuvich (San Pedro, Calif.) to earn a 15-10 lead.  The Pride, which hit .522 in the set, pushed its lead to 22-14 on a Perez ace and would later take the frame, 25-17, following Perez's fifth kill of the afternoon.

Perez continued his impressive offensive showing, registering seven of Springfield's 18 second-set kills.  The teams were tied eight times in the early going, but the Pride rattled off three-straight points to force the visitors into a timeout.  The Hawks battled back to get within 17-14, but a 4-1 Springfield surge, highlighted by a block and ace from Shaun Ermi (Rush, N.Y.), put the hosts in control for good as they took a two set lead after a 25-18 win.

Springfield went to its bench in the third set and recorded another 18 kills as a team.  The Pride stormed out to an 8-3 lead after Malone hammered a ball out of the backrow, and would see its lead grow to 20-8 after a big swing from Ricardo Padilla Ayala (San Juan, Puerto Rico).  Hunter would get as close as seven, but Tom Ketley (Essex, United Kingdom) painted the back line for the Pride's fifth ace of the set to complete the sweep, 25-16.

Wentworth 3, Springfield 1

Despite a match-high 17 kills from senior Angel Perez (Naranjito, Puerto Rico), the Springfield College men's volleyball team was defeated by Wentworth in four sets on Saturday evening.  Wentworth prevailed by the set scores of 25-15, 29-27, 18-25, 25-16.

Perez was one of three Springfield players with double digit kills, as Greg Woods (Middletown, Conn.) posted 13 kills and Ryan Malone (Chicopee, Mass.) added 10 kills of his own.  Matthew Peretto (Vallejo, Calif.) picked up a match-high 17 digs and Luis Garcia Rubio (Bayamon, Puerto Rico) handed out 32 assists.

Wentworth's Alex Potts, Jake Reed, and Sean Mullen each had 11 kills in the win, while Collin Ritter dished out 42 assists.  Potts had a match-high five blocks and Jon Roat registered a team-best 14 digs.

Springfield's offense never found its footing in the opening set, as the Pride hit -.037 as the visitors cruised to a 25-15 win.  The teams were knotted at four early on, but a 6-2 burst that featured three Pride attack errors put Wentworth in control, 10-4.  The Leopards hit .367 in the frame and never let Springfield get closer than five as they took the opening frame.

The second set featured 14 ties and seven lead changes, and Perez did everything he could to keep Springfield in it, producing seven of the Pride's 15 kills.  A Malone service ace put Springfield ahead 20-18, but Wentworth answered with three straight points to force the Pride into a timeout.  The hosts fought off three set points before an attack error and kill from Sean Donahue gave the visitors a two-set lead.

The third set proved to be Springfield's finest offensive showing as the trio of Woods, Malone, and Perez combined for 14 kills at a .417 clip.  The hosts broke open a 10-all tie with 5-1 surge, highlighted by a pair of big swings from Malone.  Wentworth would close within 18-16, but Springfield reeled off a 7-2 burst, using a solo stuff from Shaun Ermi (Rush, N.Y.) to win 25-18.

The Pride dug itself an early hole in the fourth, falling behind 12-8 on an attack error.  The Pride would battle back to make it 14-12, but it was determined that Springfield served out of rotation, and the point was awarded instead to the visitors.  The Leopards took that momentum and put together one final push, rattling off an 8-2 run to earn a 23-13 lead on a Reed ace.  The visitors sealed the upset win on a kill off the block from Roat, as they took the fourth, 25-16.