NEWTON, Mass. – Senior Scott Sterenberg (Oceanside, N.Y.) found the floor for 14 kills and hit .345% in the Lasell University men's volleyball 3-0 loss to MIT Wednesday night in the Athletic Center.
The Lasers fall to the Engineers for the second time this season as they drop to 10-11 overall while MIT improves to 15-3 after a week of impressive wins including a win over #5 ranked Vassar College.
Sterenberg led the team with 14 kills while freshman Jan Baranowski (Wheeling, Ill.) added nine kills in the middle with a .533 attack efficiency and three block assists.
The Engineers were led by freshman Jack Yurkanin (New Lenox, Ill.) who pounded a match-high 17 kills and only three errors on 26 attempts.
Both teams traded points in the early going of the first set. MIT grabbed a 10-7 lead after a Yurkanin kill. The Lasers closed within one at 12-11 as Baranowski earned one of his kills. The Engineers began to separate at 13-11 by stringing together a couple of runs. A Sterenberg kill closed the gap to four at 22-18 for the home team, but MIT scored the next three to Lasell's one to finish the set 25-19.
The second set ended in extra points as both teams fought until the end of the set. With the game tied 21-21, a Lasers service error and kill from Yurkanin gave the visitors a two-point lead. The Engineers would go on to win the second set 28-26.
The Lasers jumped out to an early lead in the third with an ace from junior Aaron Waitekus (Norwood, Mass.) and a kill from Sterenberg. They held a 6-4 lead before the Engineers earned four straight points to regain the lead at 8-6. The Lasers continued to trail in the set before an Engineers error tied the set at 20-20. MIT would go on to outscore the Lasers 5-1 in the closing points of the match.
The Lasers will look to protect their home court next Wednesday, March 11 against #1 Springfield College at 6 p.m. The Engineers will look to win their 13th straight against #3 SUNY New Paltz on Friday, March 6 at 7 p.m.
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