NEWTON, Mass. (9/20/16) -- The Lasell College women's volleyball team suffered a straight set defeat to Plymouth State University on Tuesday evening in the Athletic Center.
Junior Michele Canestro (Castleton, N.Y.) and sophomore Olivia Addington (Orange, Calif.) led Lasell with seven and six kills in the match, respectively. Addington also posted a game-high 12 digs, while junior Taylor Tiezzi (Meriden, Conn.) paced the Lasers with 18 assists.
Plymouth junior Claire Sporer (Medford, Ore.) and senior Mikki Taffe (East Hampstead, N.H.) led the way for the visitors with seven kills apiece. Sophomore Alisha Flanagan's (Milton, N.H.) seven digs were a team-best as were junior Megan Bailey's (Canterbury, N.H.) 22 assists. The Panthers finished the night with a .247 kill percentage.
Sporer swung through four kills in the first set as the Panthers jumped out to a commanding 16-6 lead. Senior Rachael Morrissey (Salem, N.H.) recorded two service aces in the set, twice putting PSU up by ten points. The first of Addington's three kills in the set opened up a late 4-0 run for the Lasers, but they ultimately fell by six points.
Lasell managed just six kills to seven errors in each of the last two sets. The Panthers dropped 11 of the first 12 points in the second set and won by a 25-11 margin. They posted just eight kills, but benefited from service aces by four different players.
The teams went back and forth in the final set with the Lasers scoring five straight points in the middle stages to take an 18-11 lead. PSU closed to within one immediately thereafter with Lasell posting back-to-back errors to close the run. The Panthers closed the match with six of the last seven points, including two kills and five points from Taffe. Despite the losing effort, Canestro posted all but two of Lasell's six kills and both of its service aces in the frame.
The Lasers visit Worcester State for a 7 p.m. match on Thursday, September 22, while the Panthers return to Little East Conference action on Saturday, September 24 for a tri-match at Western Connecticut State, where they will face the host Colonials and Worcester State.
