NEWTON, Mass. – In a battle of two nationally ranked and undefeated in Great Northeast Athletic Conference play squads, the Lasell College men's volleyball team outlasted Wentworth Institute of Technology, 3-2, at the Lasell College Athletic Center.
With the win the 12th-ranked Lasers improve to 19-4 overall and 4-0 in GNAC play while the sixth-ranked Leopards fall to 17-6 (6-1) after seeing their five-match win streak come to an end.
Senior Jeffrey Vautrin (Chicopee, Mass.) led Lasell's balanced offense with 15 kills to go along with three service aces, six digs and three total blocks, while classmate Tristan Davis (Rochester, N.Y.) posted 12 kills. Sophomore Jordan Aprea (Newington, Mass.) had 19 digs and sophomore Andy Henriquez (Lawrence, Mass.) recorded 39 assists.
Junior Sean Mullen (Longwood, Fla.) posted 15 kills, seven digs, and five blocks for the Leopards and senior Jake Reed (Arvada, Colo.) added 12 kills and two aces. Junior Jon Roat (Macedon, N.Y.) and senior Mike Rogachefsky (Rochester, N.Y.) each posted 11 digs, while junior Collin Ritter (Feeding Hills, Mass.) dished out 45 of the team's 49 assists. Roat also had eight kills and three blocks while junior Ollie Oshman (Pennington, N.J.) had six blocks.
The Lasers were .304 hitters and committed just three errors in the opening set, which featured a pair of long runs that led to victory. Wentworth scored three straight points after opening the frame with an attack error, but Lasell posted the next five in a row to take a 6-3 lead. After splitting the next six points, the Lasers went on an 8-1 tear and used five straight kills and a service ace from senior Patrick MacDonald (Floral Park, N.Y.) to earn a first set victory of 25-12.
Neither side led by more than three points in the second set. After the Lasers recovered from a 14-11 deficit with four of the next five points, the visitors rattled off four in a row to take a 19-15 advantage. Wentworth added the 20th point first, but Vautrin swung through a kill at the end of a 3-1 run to give Lasell a 21-19 lead. Later, freshman Janci Soto (Lawrence, Mass.) and Davis swung through back-to-back kills to end the set, 29-27.
Wentworth kept the match alive in the third set with a 26-24 win. The Leopards trailed, 16-8, before using a 13-6 run to come within three on a service error. Lasell took a 23-19 lead on a Davis kill, however Wentworth closed out the set on a 7-1 run with Roat serving the final five points.
The Leopards forced a deciding set with a 25-19 win in the fourth set. Wentworth raced out to a 6-2 lead after a block from senior Mike Hansen (Rochester, N.Y.) and Roat. A 7-1 run gave Lasell a 9-7 lead after a Afoa block before there would be seven more ties in the set, most recently when a Roat kill tied the score at 17-all and started a 6-0 run with Oshman recording a kill to give the Leopards a 22-17 lead. A Mullen kill ended the set and sent the match to the deciding set.
Wentworth trailed 2-0 to start the set before a Reed kill and a Laser attack error tied the score. The Leopards had a pair of two-point leads, including when a Mullen kill made it 8-6. The teams battled back and forth with Wentworth taking a 13-12 lead after a ball handling error. However, Afoa notched two of the final three kills to give the hosts a 15-13 lead and a 3-2 win.
Lasell returns home on Saturday, March 25 for a GNAC tri-match with Rivier and Albertus Magnus. First serve against the Raiders is set for 11:00 a.m. The Leopards are also back in action for two matches that day, taking on host Mount Ida at 10:00 a.m. and Johnson & Wales at noon.
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