NASHUA, N.H. (4/11/15) – The Lasell College men's volleyball team claimed its first ever Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) championship in comeback fashion over seven-time reigning champion Rivier University 3-2 by set scores of 29-31, 25-22, 27-29, 25-21 and 15-13 on Saturday afternoon at Muldoon Gymnasium on the campus of Rivier. With the win, Lasell improves to 24-8, while Rivier closes its season at 19-10 overall.
After being down, 2-1 after three sets, the Lasers claimed the final two sets to capture their first GNAC title in program history. Today also marked the first time since men's volleyball began back in 2003 that the Lasers defeated Rivier at Muldoon Gymnasium.
Lasell junior Jeff Vautrin (Chicopee, Mass.) registered 20 kills and eight digs to pace the Lasers, while senior Dan Raffol (Natick, Mass.) and sophomore Patrick Macdonald (Floral Park, N.Y.) tallied 15 and 11 kills, respectively. Junior Andrew Glenn (Westport, Conn.) handed out 58 assists this afternoon, while Raffol and MacDonald recorded three service aces, and junior Drew Caruso (Haverhill, Mass.) blocked the ball three times to lead the defensive efforts for the Lasers. As a team, Lasell hit .286 which was highlighted by a .667 hitting percentage via sophomore Tristan Davis (Rochester, N.Y.) and a .429 swinging stint by Caruso.
Rivier had three student-athletes with double-digit kills. Senior Chris Markuson (Cupertino, Calif.) led the Raiders with 23, while classmates Sam Kazlas (Allentown, Pa.) and Matt Tutino (Manorville, N.Y.) tallied 20 and 10, respectively. The Raiders swung .317 as a team over the five set match, which featured three athletes hitting over .400 led by sophomore Tyler Blank (Rochester, N.Y.) with a .500 hitting percentage. Blank set the ball a match-high 63 times, while junior Nick Ochoa (Whittier, Calif.) bumped up a team-high 13 digs.
Both teams registered a .333 hitting percentage in the first set which featured ten ties and seven lead changes. The Lasers held their largest lead of four points during the first set after Caruso registered a service ace which made score 16-12. Up 23-20, Lasell had multiple chances to put the set away, but Rivier evened the score at 25-25 forcing extra points for both teams. After a kill by Tutino and a Lasell attacking error, the hosts claimed a 1-0 advantage in the championship match with a set score of 31-29.
Lasell looked to even things out in the second set as they jumped to a 15-10 advantage midway through the frame, but a 6-0 spurt by the Raiders changed the momentum for the time being. Tutino held serve over the entire run as Markuson, Kazlas and senior Cameron Phegley-Walker (Los Angeles, Calif.) all had one kill to put the Raiders ahead 16-15. The Lasers went back on top (17-16) and stayed there the remainder of the set after a setting error by the Raiders. MacDonald extended Lasell's lead after his kill, and two consecutive service aces sealed the second set, 25-22, and evened the match at 1-1.
The Lasers claimed six of the third set's first eight points after Glenn backhanded the ball over the net for one of his three kills on the afternoon. Rivier evened the score at 6-6 and took the lead 9-8 after scoring the sets' next seven of nine points. After Lasell potted a service ace into Rivier's defensive zone to go ahead 15-14, Tutino and the Raiders retook the lead at 18-15 after back-to-back kills by Kazlas. The Lasers weren't finished yet as this set, just as the first did, needed extra points to decide a victor. Knotted at 27-27, Kazlas registered the sets' final two kills, as Rivier took a 2-1 lead by winning the set 29-27.
After Rivier took a 6-4 lead in the fourth set, Lasell went on a 10-6 run and jumped back in front 14-10 when Glenn was given serve. Over the stretch Glenn registered a service ace, while both Davis and Vautrin swung the ball over the net for one kill apiece. With their largest lead of the set at six points and the score 21-15 junior Mike Hovnanian (Methuen, Mass.) successfully served to pull the Raiders within a single point, 21-20. Vautrin spiked the ball for a kill and an attacking error by the Raiders sealed the fourth set 25-22 and evened the match once again 2-2 heading into the decisive set.
The fifth and final set featured eight ties a four lead changes, as both teams traded points in the opening plays. Back-to-back attacking errors by the visitors gave Rivier a two-point advantage 5-3, but the Lasers fired back with a kill from Raffol to resume the one-point margin. Neither team gained more than a single-point advantage in the following plays, until a pair of Rivier errors extended the Lasers' lead by two, 14-12. Kazias responded with a kill to survive the hosts at 14-13, but Raffol captured the game-winning point with a spike over the net via the set from Glenn to claim the GNAC title, 3-2.
The Lasers await their NCAA Tournament placement to be announced on Tuesday, April 14 at 10:00 a.m. The live selection show can be found at www.NCAA.com.