Beverly, MA - In a battle between two teams that entered the season nationally ranked, the Lasell Lasers came out on top over the Endicott Gulls on Wednesday night by a final score of 25-17, 25-22, 22-25, 25-20. The Lasers are now 5-4 on the season, while the Gulls fall to 1-4.

The Lasers would score the first three points of the match before the two teams spent the next 12 points alternating points. Leading 10-8, the Lasers went on a 5-1 run to grab control. Lasell would then go on another 5-1 run to end the set, winning it 25-17 on a Jan Baranowski service ace.

Set two saw the Lasers utilize an early 6-1 run that featured aces from Baranowski and Brenden Joyce, and kills from Baranowski and Theo Zaharewicz. This run gave the Lasers a 7-3 lead. After the Gulls scored three straight, the Lasers responded with a 7-2 run, taking a commanding 14-8 lead. The teams would go back and forth over the next 20 points. With the Lasers leading 24-18, the Gulls made it interesting by scoring four straight points, but their hopes of a comeback were erased by another Baranowski kill.

With the Gulls desperate for life, they played like it to open the third set, jumping out to an 8-3 lead. The Lasers fought back and got within one following a 6-2 run, but the Gulls would answer with a 3-0 run of their own to get some distance. They would eventually take set three 25-22.

Endicott would once again get out to the early lead in the fourth, opening the set on a 7-4 run. The Lasers slowly closed the gap, and then used a 5-1 run to take a 13-11 lead. After the Gulls came back and took a 20-19 lead, the Lasers would score the final six points. Four of those points came on Gulls' errors, while the other two came on kills from Baranowski and Zaharewicz. The Lasers took the set 25-20, and the match 3-1.

The Lasers were led by Jan Baranowski and Jordan Shinaut, as each had 12 kills. Baranowski had an outstanding .578 attacking percentage, while also recording three block assists. Brenden Joyce and Dexter Thomas each recorded seven kills. Defensively the Lasers were led by Theo Zaharewicz, as he was second on the team with seven digs, and led the team with seven total blocks. Alex Weinhaus led the team with eight digs. Rounding out the stat leaders was Jesus Garcia, as he recorded 37 set assists.

Up next - The Lasers will next play on Saturday, February 18th when they take on Emmanuel and Colby-Sawyer in a GNAC tri-match hosted by Emmanuel. The Lasers will play at 10am and 12pm.