NEWTON, MA- The Lasell College men's volleyball team recorded their third straight victory on Monday night, defeating Mount Ida College, 3-1, evening out their Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) record to 4-4 while improving their overall record to 14-12 on the year.
The Lasers fell behind 7-2 in the early going of set one before evening out the score at 10-all after a 8-3 run capped by a Micah Aiu (Honolulu, HI) kill. Lasell took a cushy lead following another 6-0 streak shortly after which settled the score at 19-13, then rode out the game to a 25-21 final post.
Once again Mount Ida took the lead off the bat in the second set, though not more than a two point margin separated the teams at any stretch until the Mustangs broke away for a four point edge, 20-16. The hosts settled in to take set two, 25-20.
Game three was close with the score knotting four times throughout the opening 12 points. Lasell eventually topped Mount Ida, going up 17-11, earning a lead they would not relinquish. The Lasers finished off the game with a commanding 25-16 advantage.
Lasell's momentum carried over into the final set, leaving the Mustangs in arrears 15-7 midway through the game. The closest Mount Ida would get to Lasell after that point would still leave them in debt of seven points (20-13) as the Lasell offense pounded away. Lasell capped the 3-1 match with a 25-14 victory.
Sophomore outside hitters Spencer Parker (Newington, CT) and Alex Mill (Danville, CT) were offensive threats throughout the four set match, combining for 25 of the Lasers 46 total kills in the contest. Parker led all hitters with 15 kills, hitting a .357 clip in the match, and adding a match-best 13 digs for his third season double-double. Mill, this week's GNAC Player of the Week, followed Parker, going 10-for-23 with just one error (39.1%), while adding six digs and two blocks.
GNAC Rookie of the Week Andrew Glenn (Westport, CT) assisted on 44 of Lasell's 46 kills for the evening. Glenn also notched a double-double performance (his second of the season) with 12 digs in the victory.
Also producing a fair amount of the Lasers offense were Aiu and Mike Harrington (Billerica, MA) who put away eight kills each. Aiu also contributed five blocks (four solo, one assisted) and three service aces.
Mount Ida settled on a 6-16 overall and 2-8 GNAC slate at the conclusion of the contest. This is Lasell's seventh straight win against the Mustangs dating back to 2008.
Lasell will entertain the University of New Haven on Wednesday, March 9th at 7:00 p.m. for their third meeting of the season. The Lasers hold a 2-0 record against the Chargers in the 2011 season.