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Men's Volleyball Falls at #1 Springfield in Season Opener

Men's Volleyball Falls at #1 Springfield in Season Opener
January 23, 2014
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Springfield, Mass. (1/23/14) - The Lasell College men's volleyball team suffered a 3-0 defeat in their season opener, falling to the two-time defending NCAA Champions and #1 ranked Springfield College in Thursday evening. Lasell slipped to 0-1, while Springfield improved to 1-3 in what was their first match against NCAA Division III competition.
For Lasell, Jeff Vautrin (Chicopee, Mass.) provided a team-best seven kills on the night. The Lasers were limited to just a .017 hitting percentage, as both Matt Dugan (New Lenox, Ill.) and Andrew Glenn (Westport, Conn.) were credited with seven assists each.
The Pride had a strong overall performance, connecting for 36 kills on 58 swings, making just seven errors, while also registering 10 aces and 8.5 team blocks for a .500 hitting percentage. Luis Vega (Corozal, Puerto Rico) posted a match-high nine kills to go along with five digs and three blocks, while Ryan Malone (Chicopee, Mass.)added eight kills at a .545 clip. In the middle, Jimmy O'Leary (Reading, Pa.) was a perfect 7-for-7 and recorded four aces and a trio of blocks. Keaton Pieper (Dallas, Texas) and Luis Garcia Rubio (Bayamon, Puerto Rico) combined for 29 assists.
With the score tied at two-all in the first, a solo block from O'Leary capped off a 6-1 burst for the Pride as it opened up an 8-3 cushion. After three-straight Springfield attack errors made it a 17-11 contest, Vega hammered a ball out of the back row to force the Lasers into a timeout. A Malone kill and double block from Pieper and O'Leary pushed the lead to nine, and the Pride would take the first set, 25-17, on Vega's fifth kill in the early going.
After a sluggish offensive start to the second, Springfield heated up behind four kills in the frame from Malone. With the score 8-6 in favor of the hosts, Springfield reeled off a 17 of the final 21 points in the frame to win 25-10. Both Vega and Eric Johnson (Tustin, Calif.) powered the surge with terrific runs from the service line.
Springfield's offense found its rhythm in the third, hitting .706 with 12 kills on 17 errorless attacks. Lasell earned a 7-6 lead on a Drew Caruso (Haverhill, Mass.) kill, but three-straight points from the Pride, including a kill and ace from Angel Perez (Naranjito, Puerto Rico) put Springfield up for good. O'Leary ripped three aces in the set, and Greg Woods (Middletown, Conn.) provided a huge spark with four kills, including a monster swing from the back row in transition to complete the sweep.



Lasell will venture to Johnson and Wales University on January 24th and 25th, playing four matches over the two days against Southern Vermont, Keuka College, CCRI, and Regis College.