Lasers' Updates 02/04/2009

Men's Volleyball

After winning their first two matches the Lasers dropped their next two,  evening their record to 2-2.  Lasell lost to the Newbury College, who are ranked 7th nationally, and then lost to the team at the top of the standings in the GNAC,  Emmanuel.

The men's volleyball team started the week by hosting Nighthawks, falling in three sets.  The Nighthawks cruised to a 30-24, 30-17, and 30-20 victory.  Senior Dave Rogers (Belchertown, Mass.) led the Lasers with 9 kills, and sophomore Mike Harrington (Billerica, Mass.) was strong compiling a .417 clip.  Gary Gay (Belchertown, Mass.) added a team-high 6 digs to go along with 15 total assists

Lasell then hosted a conference match against the top ranked Emmanuel College Saints.  Despite losing 3-1 the Lasers proved they could compete with the league's best.  The first two sets were back and forth but Lasell came up short in each, 30-28 and 30-26. The Lasers rebounded in the 3rd set to win 30-28 but fell short in the 4th set 30-24.

Lasell's was able to hang tough due to their great defense, led all evening by Joe Lipski (Burlington, Conn.), Andy Cass (Wakefield, RI), and Brendan McGourn (Southington, Conn.).  Cass collected 11 kills and 8 digs, and McGourn was strong all-around with 39 assists, 6 kills, 9 digs, and 2 service aces.  Matt Roberts (Agawam, Mass.) led Lasell with 12 kills and picked up 8 digs.

McGourn (far left) moved into 11th place nationally, averaging just over 11 assists a game, while Harrington (inset left) ranks 25th in hitting percentage at .333. Dan Rogers (inset right) (Belchertown, Mass.) is 23rd nationally with 1.0 block per game and Roberts (far right) is currently ranked 31st with 2.44 digs per game.

The Lasers are now 2-2 overall and 1-1 in the very competitive GNAC.  They travel to New Haven to compete in a non-conference match against the University of New Haven, then travel to Emerson College to take on the Lions in a GNAC match.  Lasell finishes the week off hosting a tri match against Lesley University and Lancaster Bible College.

Women's Basketball

The women's basketball team fell short in two contests this week, losing 77-52 at Wellesley College and 60-53 against conference opponent Suffolk University.  In the first half at Wellesley the Lasers proved they could compete only trailing only by 4, but Wellesley came out strong and pulled away with a 25 point victory.

Three Lasers contributed with double figures in the loss. Shauna Kelly (Quincy, Mass.), who is 4th in the GNAC averaging 16.7 points a game, led Lasell with 15 points. Kelly (left) is also ranked nationally in the NCAA at 86th for points per game.  Katie Farr (Rindge, NH) played strong and scored 14 points and Katie Schumitz (Milford, Conn.) was on fire going 4 for 8 behind the line totaling 12 points.  Freshman JoAnna Bishop (So. Burlington, VT) led for the Lasers with 7 rebounds.

Lasell then came home to host rival Suffolk University in a key GNAC matchup.  Lights out shooting for Suffolk and lack of time is what hurt the Lasers down the stretch.  They lead by as many as 20, but Lasell kept battling and cut the lead to single digits with three minutes to go, but Suffolk shooting was too strong and they held on for the 7 point win.

Schumitz led all scorers with 17 points and pitched in 4 rebounds.  Tricia Culver (N. Hampton, Mass.) culminated with eight points and six rebounds and Farr pitched in 10 points to go along with 3 assists.

The Lasers record is now 6-13 and 3-3 in the GNAC. 

Men‘s Basketball

The Lasers saw their eight game winning streak come to an end, going 2-2 for the week. 

Lasell began the week by pushing their streak to eight with a road win against Johnson & Wales, 103-95.  The Lasers then dropped their next two losing, 74-70, at home against Rivier College and then traveling to Suffolk and losing, 112-107.  They got back to their winning ways on Monday, beating Albertus Magnus, 61-39.

Jose Guitian (Miami, FL) had yet another record breaking week.  He became Lasell's all time leading scorer and the first person to ever collect over 1,000 rebounds.  Guitian (right) was once again named the GNAC and ECAC player of the week.  Guitian averaging 26.25 points, 19 rebounds, and 4.33 assists per game. Guitian just missed a triple-double against JWU with 32 points, 21 boards, and 9 assists. He also had a 31 point and 18 rebound showing against Suffolk, and a 22 point 13 board night against Rivier.  He topped the week out by ripping 24 boards and collecting 24 points against Albertus Magnus.

Lasell also had good weeks from seniors Junior Sainval (Miami, FL) and Brad Caravoulias (Dracut, Mass.).  Sainval scored 23 points against Johnson & Wales, 11 against Rivier, and 11 at Suffolk.  Caravoulias was lights out all week, shooting 40% from behind the line which included a 6 for 11 performance with 28 points against Suffolk.  He also contributed with 17 against Johnson & Wales, 11 against Rivier and 10 versus Albertus Magnus.

Freshman Kevin Richard (New Orleans, LA) dished out the ball well all week averaging nearly 8 assists a game including 12 in the loss to Suffolk and 8 in the win over Albertus Magnus.  Sean Joynes (Philadephia, PA) and Javon Williams (Mattapan, Mass.) each set season highs with 10 points at Suffolk.

Guitian is climbing still in the NCAA national statistics, standing at 2nd overall nationally in rebounding, 11th in point scoring, 28th in blocked shots, and 63rd in assist to turnover ratio.  Caravoulias (far left) is also ranked nationally, at 26th in three-point field goals per game and 43rd in three point field goal percentage.   Richard (inset left) also broke the top 15 in two categories, assists per game (13th), and assist to turnover ratio (11th).

The Lasers remain first in the GNAC at 10-2 and 13-6 overall.  The road ahead is not easy with games against each of the top 4 teams in the GNAC.  They end this week with two home games.  The first game is Thursday the 5th against Johnson & Wales and then Saturday the 7th against preseason favorite Emmanuel.

Upcoming Games:

Thursday, February 05, 2009- Men's basketball vs. Johnson & Wales, 7:00 p.m.

Friday, February 6, 2009- Men's Volleyball @ Emerson, 6:00 p.m.

Saturday, February 7, 2009- Men's basketball vs. Emmanuel, 2:00 p.m.

Women's Basketball @ Simmons, 1:00 p.m.

Sunday, February, 8, 2009- Men's volleyball vs. Lesley & Lancaster Bible, 10:00 a.m. & 1:00 p.m.

Monday, February 9, 2009- Men's volleyball vs. Rivier, 7:00 p.m.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009- Women's Basketball vs. Mount Ida, 7:00 p.m.