Poughkeepsie, NY - The Lasell Lasers took on Misericordia and #5 Vassar in a tri-match on Saturday. They would win their opening match against Misericordia 25-15, 25-27, 25-22, 25-20, and drop their match to #5 Vassar 25-16, 25-18, 25-10. The Lasers are now 4-2, while Vassar is 5-1 and Misericordia is 5-8.
Match One
Set one saw the Lasers get out to a quick start, as they scored five of the first six points. They would open their lead up even more, going up by as many seven before scoring the final four points of the set, to take it 25-15.
After Misericordia scored the first two points of the second set, the Lasers would proceed to score the next six. They would continue to hold a 2-5 point lead the rest of the set, until Misericordia went on a 4-0 run to take a 24-23 lead. A kill by Jan Baranowski tied things up at 24, but Misericordia would win three of the next four points to take the set 27-25.
The third set was back and forth until the Lasers went on a 4-0 run to take a brief 10-8 lead. Misericordia would take it right back with a 4-0 run of their own. But Lasell responded right back with a 6-0 run that featured a kill by Jordan Shinaut. The teams would trade points the rest of the set, before the Lasers ultimately took it 25-22, giving them a 2-1 lead in the match.
Coming off the momentum of their third set win, the Lasers got out to an early 8-2 lead in the fourth. They would extend it to as big as 21-10 on a Theo Zaharewicz kill, but Misericordia would then go on an 8-1 run to make things interesting. But the Lasers composed themselves and closed the match out on a Brenden Joyce kill.
Five different Lasers recorded over five kills, led by Brenden Joyce (12) and Theo Zaharewicz (10). The others were Tucker Merritt (8), Jan Baranowski (6), and Jordan Shinaut (6). Jesus Garcia assisted on 37 of the Lasers' 43 kills in the match. Defensively, Joyce led the way with 16 digs, while Garcia also had double-digits with 10. Joyce also added five blocks, while Merritt recorded six blocks of his own.
Match Two
The Lasers started out strong, going up 7-4 early. But Vassar responded, scoring seven of the next nine points to take a 11-9 lead. They would then go on another run, scoring five straight, and nine of 11, going up 20-12. They would eventually take the first set 25-16.
Vassar would continue their momentum from the first, going up 6-3, but the Lasers fought back to tie things up at seven. But an 11-2 run by Vassar gave them control of the set, and despite a late 4-0 run from the Lasers, Vassar would take set two 25-18.
Set three saw Vassar take control immediately, taking the early 10-3 lead. They would then cruise to a 25-10 set win, scoring the last six points of the match.
The Lasers were led offensively by Brenden Joyce, as he recorded eight kills. Zak Burkett collected 10 set assists, while Jesus Garcia had eight. Rande Monahan led the team with seven digs.
Up Next - The Lasers will face #2 Springfield on Tuesday, February 7th. That match will start at 7pm.