NEWTON, Mass. (9/21/17) – The Lasell women's volleyball team dropped a five-set thriller to the Lancers of Worcester State University on Thursday evening inside the Athletic Center.
Down 2-0 from set scores of 25-14 and 25-18, the Lasers rallied and took the ensuing two sets, 25-18 and 25-23, to force set five for the third time this season.
In the third set, the Lancers built a valiant comeback, as Lasell held match point at 24-12. The Lancers rattled off five straight points with Katrina Kangwijaya (Dunstable, Mass.) on the service, before a final service error sent both teams in the fourth.
Both teams traded point for point in the fourth, as Taylor Tiezzi (Meriden, Conn.) put Lasell in its final match point position with a service ace. Olivia Addington (Orange, Calif.) forced set five on a blast from Meghan Carroll (Douglas, Mass.), and the 25-23 result.
As in the fourth, neither team gained more than a two-point advantage as the fifth set extended six points past regulation. Two concluding attack errors from Lasell sent the Lancers back to Worcester with the 21-19 set win, and the 3-2 final.
Addington led all players in the non-conference match with 21 kills and four block assists for 23 points. Addington's point total surpassed her teammates by at least 14 points, as Mickayla Shelburn (Waterford, Conn.) and Meredith Eagan (North Andover, Mass.) added nine points each in the effort. Caitlyn Garcia (Moreno Valley, Calf.) had a strong showing at libero for Lasell with 34 digs, six away from her season high. Classmate Tiezzi dished out 40 assists with a pair of service aces.
Amari King (Lawrence, Mass.) paced the visitors with 14 kills and a .208 hitting percentage, contributing 17 poitns with an additional pair of aces. Emily Carens (Northborough, Mass.) followed with nine kills and three block assists for 10.5 points.
Defensively, Megan Leavens (Storrs, Conn.) hit the floor for 36 digs, a season-best for the junior libero.
Both teams are back in action on Saturday, September 23. The Lasers host Saint Joseph's College of Maine and Mitchell in an afternoon tri match starting at 11:00 a.m., while Worcester State heads to Mass Maritime for a tri with the Buccaneers and Pine Manor.