NEW LONDON, N.H. - Jordan Shinaut, Theo Zaharewicz and Brenden Joyce tallied a combined 71 kills for the Lasell University men's volleyball team in two victories Saturday, as the Lasers defeated Great Northeast Athletic Conference-rivals Colby-Sawyer, 3-1, and Emmanuel, 3-0.

The Lasers closed out the regular season with a 21-8 overall record and a 14-2 mark in the GNAC. Lasell earned the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament and will host either third-seeded Rivier or sixth-seeded Emmanuel Thursday during the semifinals at 7 p.m. in the Athletic Center.

Match 1 (Lasell 3, Colby-Sawyer 1):

Shinaut (.448 hitting percentage) tied a career-high with a match-leading 18 kills against the Chargers (4-17, 1-12 GNAC), while Zaharewicz (.435 hitting percentage) and Joyce (.400 hitting percentage) finished with 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Junior setter Jesus Garcia led all players with 35 assists and freshman Alex Weinhaus posted a match-best 11 digs. 

Junior Jan Baranowski compiled seven kills and six total blocks, while Shinaut was a force at the net, tallying five total blocks. Leading the way for Colby-Sawyer were Orlando Plagata (15 kills, 10 digs) and Lucas Lizotte (31 assists).

The Lasers compiled a .448 hitting percentage and 17 kills as a team in the first set, but the Chargers earned a hard-fought 26-24 win behind a game-clinching kill by Eric Miller.

Lasell fired back in the second set, building a 19-11 lead on a kill by Joyce. A service error by the Chargers clinched a 25-16 triumph for the Lasers and evened the match at 1-1. During the second set, Lasell registered 17 kills and a .433 hitting percentage.

A 6-0 run, featuring five consecutive service points by Shinaut, gave Lasell some breathing room at 21-13 during the third set. An ace by freshman Carter Philips secured a 25-15 victory.

In the fourth set, the Lasers built a 21-13 cushion on a kill by Joyce. An attack error by the Chargers secured a 25-15 victory for the visitors and clinched the match.

Match 2 (Lasell 3, Emmanuel 0):

Shinaut (.429 hitting percentage) and Zaharewicz (5 digs) each finished with 11 kills. Joyce (8 kills, 5 digs) performed well, while Garcia and Weinhaus led all players in assists and digs, respectively, with 28 and 10.

The Saints (14-14, 7-9 GNAC) were led by Jyles Amirault (13 kills), Roman Fabrizio (21 assists) and Ryan Cave (9 digs).

An ace by Shinaut gave the Lasers a 14-4 lead in the first set. Garcia clinched the set with a kill, giving the unit a 25-14 victory.

Emmanuel built an 11-6 lead in the second set, but the Lasers responded, taking a 15-14 advantage on a kill by Zaharewicz. A kill by Shinaut sealed a 25-21 victory.

During the final set, the Saints were leading, 17-14, but a kill by Weinhaus put the Lasers in front, 18-17. Back-to-back kills by Shinaut and Zaharewicz gave Lasell a 25-20 third-set triumph.

Up Next:

The second-seeded Lasers will compete against either third-seeded Rivier or sixth-seeded Emmanuel during the semifinals of the GNAC Tournament Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Athletic Center.

Director of Athletic Communications Trevor Wenners can be reached at twenners@lasell.edu.

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