Wentworth Institute of Technology: Athletics > Varsity Sports

Season In Review

Returning six players, including the conference rookie of the year, from a 2006 team that finished 6-16 in a season that saw the Leopards not have a home facility, the Wentworth women’s volleyball team looked to turn the corner in 2007 and be a contender within The Commonwealth Coast Conference. However, what this past season became was a year that saw the Leopards not being able to find their niche, despite being a very competitive team.

The season began with Wentworth participating at the Western Connecticut Invitational, a tournament that saw the Leopards drop their first three matches before picking up a win over St. Joseph’s of Connecticut. The Leopards would drop their next four matches, including a pair of TCCC matches, to see their record stand at 1-7.

Wentworth gained a little momentum by finishing second with a 2-1 record at its own invitational, with one of the wins a thrilling 3-2 win over WPI that was a back and forth affair, while the final match, a 3-1 loss to Framingham State, began a five-match losing streak that would put Wentworth in danger of missing the conference playoffs for the first time since 2001.

Over the next five matches the Leopards were 3-2, but a 3-2 loss to Eastern Nazarene—a match that Wentworth led 2-1—put an end to a five-year run of making the postseason. After defeating Simmons and losing to Lasell, Wentworth closed out the season with conference losses to Colby-Sawyer and Regis, finishing the season with a 7-20 mark.

Sophomore Danielle Banks, the 2006 TCCC Rookie of the Year, continued her solid play by averaging 2.89 kills, 0.44 aces, and 2.70 digs per game. Banks had 272 kills, the second-highest single-season total in the program’s history. Senior Nikki Pisani averaged 2.12 kills and 0.84 blocks per game to go along with a team-high hitting percentage of .237. Her 67 block assists established a new single-season school record, while she ends her career with a record 203 total blocks. Classmate Jacquie Bronhard, the co-recipient of the 2008 Eugenia Louise Sweeney Scholar-Athlete Award, averaged just under two kills per game, averaged 0.50 aces per game, and 1.74 digs per game.

Looking Ahead

The Leopards will have to deal with the loss of three impact players to graduation. With a core group of underclassmen returning, Wentworth should make a run at a postseason berth in 2008.

Schedule

The Leopards play a 27-match schedule that includes eight CCC matches against such schools as Endicott, Roger Williams, Colby-Sawyer, and Gordon. The non-league schedule consists of matches against Lasell, UMass Boston, Emmanuel, Framingham State, WPI, and Wheaton.

History

The women's volleyball team has been a varsity team since the late 1980's, and enjoyed its finest season in 2002, posting 13 wins before the 2005 squad became the first .500 or better (14-14) women's volleyball team.

Meet the Coaching Staff

Former Leopard men's volleyball standout Jason Jeffers (Wentworth '97) enters his 10th season as the head women's volleyball coach at Wentworth. Jeffers played four seasons on the men's squad and was the team's most valuable player during the 1997 campaign. He is assisted by Kevin Carreiro '03.