NEWTON, Mass. (10/30/15) - The Lasell College women's volleyball team split a pair of Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) matches with Johnson and Wales University and Albertus Magnus College on Friday evening in the Athletic Center. With the win, the Lasers close out their regular season at 11-22 overall and 6-5 in the GNAC, while the Wildcats finish at 20-7, 11-4 GNAC, and the Falcons end the season at 5-18 and 1-10 in conference play.
Prior to tonight's match against Albertus, the Lasers honored their five graduating seniors for their contributions to the Lasell women's volleyball program. Natalie Berwald (West Springfield, Mass.), Taylor Hansen (Gorham, Maine), Alyssa Nahigian (Coventry, R.I.), Sharisse Scott-Rawlins (Brockton, Mass.) and Heather Longley (North Granby, Conn.) have represented the Lasell women's volleyball program with dedication, leadership and perseverance, and their presence will be missed on and off the court. The Lasell College community would like to wish them well in their future endeavors.
GAME ONE – Lasell: 1 JWU: 3 (25-23, 25-20, 25-16, 25-7)
Scott-Rawlins led the attack for the Lasers in game one with a match-high 12 kills and 10 digs – her first of two double-doubles on the night. Freshman Olivia Addington (Orange, Calif.) followed with 12 kills for 12 combined points, while Longley jumped up for four total blocks for 8.5 points. For the defense, sophomore Cassandra Stout (Plymouth, Mass.) shifted to the libero spot for a grand total of 13 digs in the match.
Wildcats' seniors Marissa Bunnewith (Millbury, Mass.) and Paula Cadavid (Pawtucket, R.I.) added nine kills apiece to highlight the visitors' offense, while sophomore libero Julianna Zaharias (Long Beach, N.Y.) hit the court for a match-high 17 digs.
The Wildcats crawled to an early lead in the first set before Addington smashed a point to knot the game at 10-10, forcing a visitors' timeout. JWU wouldn't crack under the pressure, and began to pull away with a substantial lead on the Lasers, highlighted by three straight serves from Bunnewith. Down 24-18, the Lasers began the chase for a late comeback as sophomore Meredith Eagan (North Andover, Mass.) held serve for four straight points to creep up on JWU 24-23. The Wildcats, however, held on to the first set (25-23) via a final attack error against Lasell.
After a close second set captured by the Wildcats (25-20), the Lasers bounced back in the third set with an early 4-0 lead to start. Cadavid put Johnson and Wales back in it on the service line, where the set then saw two ties before the Lasers pulled away with an 11-7 edge via a pair of kills from Addington. Lasell never looked back from then on, and secured a 25-16 set victory heading into set four. The Wildcats held Lasell to just seven points in the final plays of game one, and used a .348 swinging percentage to cap the last set 25-7.
GAME TWO – JWU: 3 Albertus: 0 (25-18, 25-12, 25-12)
The Wildcats allowed just 21 points from the Falcons in all three sets combined, as senior Andrea DiPalma (North Tonawanda, N.Y.) paved the way with seven kills, 10 digs, and a block assist. Freshman setter Jordan Amore (Coventry, R.I.) served up a match-high 18 assists, while Zaharias contributed with 14 digs.
Falcons' junior Amber Cohens (Hamden, Conn.) registered six kills and one service ace for seven points overall, while sophomore Ana Gomez (New Haven, Conn.) dished out six points with five kills, and a service point. Sophomore Marielis Muriel (New Haven, Conn.) served as the Falcons' defensive specialist, and recorded 10 digs in the effort.
GAME THREE – Lasell: 3 Albertus: 0 (25-17, 25-7, 25-18)
Following senior night announcements, Scott-Rawlins carried her momentum into the final set with 10 kills, 19 digs, and two services aces. Longley enjoyed the hype as well, and smashed eight kills, two digs, and a solo block for nine total points. Nahigian served up 22 assists on the night – a season high – while Stout shared a match-high 19 digs with Scott-Rawlins.
For the Falcons, freshman Megan Gritz (Mildford, Conn.) led the way with eight points from seven kills and a service ace. Gomez used six kills and a solo block for seven points, while freshman Megan Warnke (Naugatuck, Conn.) bumped up 14 digs.
After a 25-17 set one victory, the Lasers came out flying in the second set as Nahigian served up 14 straight points from the service line to put the set out of reach for the Falcons at 15-3. A service error secured the 25-7 set victory as both teams headed into the final match of the night.
Much like the first, the third set played out to be a close one in its opening rallies. The Lasers survived two ties before Nahigian used two visitor errors for a 17-13 edge. A pair of kills from Gritz put the Falcons back in the game until Berwald backed up three kills from Scott-Rawlins, Longley, and sophomore Lauren Piper (Scarborough, Maine) to put the Lasers in match victory position 22-17. Gomez added a final kill for Albertus before Lasell added four consecutive points – two service aces from Piper – to come out on top 25-18.
Lasell, Johnson and Wales, and Albertus will await this weekend's GNAC results before heading into the post-season tournament beginning on Tuesday, November 3.