NEWTON, Mass. (10/28/15) – The Lasell College women's volleyball team fell to the visiting Judges of Brandeis University 3-1 in a non-conference matchup on Wednesday evening in the Athletic Center Gym. With the setback, the Lasers drop to 10-21 overall, while the Judges shift to 5-22 this year.
Lasell freshman Olivia Addington (Orange, Calif.) – the GNAC's rookie of the week, continued a strong performance with a match-high 14 kills and eight digs for 15.5 total points. Senior Heather Longley (North Granby, Conn.) added nine points for the Lasers with four kills and a match-high six blocks to round out the scoring for Lasell, while sophomore libero Caitlyn Garcia (Moreno Valley, Calif.) recorded 17 digs.
For the Judges, freshman Grace Krumpack (Cincinnati, Ohio) tallied nine points and was just short of a double-double with nine kills and 11 digs. Freshman Zara Platt (Fountain Valley, Calif.) and junior Jessica Kaufman (Tucson, Ariz.) followed with eight and seven kills, respectively. For the visitors' defense, freshman libero Yvette Cho (San Diego, Calif.) registered a career-high 28 digs in the winning effort.
Set one involved ten ties before the Lasers were able to break through with a substantial lead. Longley jumped up for a kill to give Lasell a 19-18 edge, setting up Garcia on the serve. Garcia stood tall on the service line and rallied for a 7-0 run – highlighted by five kills from Addington – to secure the 25-18 final.
Much like the first set, the two teams traded points for the opening plays, until a Lasell service error gave the Judges a 16-12 bump. An 8-6 run set the Judges in victory position, as Krumpack and freshman Allison Harmsworth (Bradenton, Fla.) traded a pair of kills to even out the match at 1-1 with a 25-18 set score.
The Judges carried their momentum into the third set, as freshman Leah Pearlman (El Paso, Texas) served up eight straight points, capped by three service aces. Their largest lead of the set came after a tip from Platt (23-7) before Krumpack closed out the set 25-14.
Set four experienced six ties before the Judges took the lead 16-11 to force a Lasell timeout. The visitors would not crack under the pressure, as they headed into match-point, 24-16. Lasell would not go quietly, however, as sophomore Lauren Piper (Scarborough, Maine) swung into a service ace to begin a late-match comeback. Piper smashed yet another ace alongside a point from Addington and a Judges' attack error to come back 24-15, but a Platt kill sealed the deal for the visitors, 25-21.
The Judges held a 46-30 advantage in kills, while the Lasers edged the margin in blocks 8-6. Lasell sophomore setter Taylor Tiezzi (Meriden, Conn.) added 15 helpers in the effort for Lasell as Pearlman dished out a match-high 21 assists for Brandeis.
The Lasers will complete their home-game streak on Friday, October 20 as they honor the 2016 graduating seniors in a GNAC tri-match with Johnson and Wales and Albertus Magnus with first-set slated for 4:00 p.m. The Judges will welcome Vassar and Babson on Saturday, October 31, to wrap up their regular season with a 2:00 p.m. start.