Emerson Tames Lasell in GNAC Men's Volleyball Action

BOSTON, Mass. (3/13/14) – The Lasell College men's volleyball team dropped a key Great Northeast Athletic Conference match in five sets at Emerson College on Thursday night. Emerson captured the victory, 25-23, 18-25, 26-24, 21-25 and 15-11 to improve to 7-5 overall and 2-1 in conference action while the Lasers slipped to 14-5 for the year and 3-3 in league contests.

Dan Raffol tallied a match-high 23 kills and 3.5 total blocks along with 10 digs for Lasell, Ryan Jackson chipped in 11 kills for Lasell and Andrew Glenn handed out a match-best 45 assists in the loss. Lasell notched a season-worst 33 attacking errors as they hit .166 despite having 57 kills in the five set affair.

Brendan McGonigle put together a strong all-around performance for Emerson with 31 assists, nine digs, seven kills and 2.5 total blocks. Dmitri Gorenc and Jackson Wiley each reached double digit kills for Emerson with 13 and 12 respectively while also recording five service aces apiece.

Emerson broke open a 13-13 opening set with a 7-1 run to take a 20-14 lead, holding off a late Lasell run to take a 1-0 lead by a score of 25-23. The Lasers jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the second set and never let Emerson closer than two points the rest of the way as the won 25-18 to even the match at 1-1.

The third set was back and forth early, as the two teams were tied eight different times on their way to a 15-15 score midway through the set. Lasell scored five of the next six points to take a 20-16 lead only to see Emerson rally with five straight points to take a 21-20 lead. The set was tied again at 24-24 but Emerson closed the set out with the next two points to take a 2-1 lead in the match. Lasell scored a pair of points to break a 16-16 tie in the fourth set and ground out a 25-21 win in the fourth set to force a fifth-set tiebreaker.

The two teams traded points early in the match leaving them tied at 7-7 before a pair of Lasers errors and a kill by Gorenc put Emerson in front 10-7. A kill from Raffol drew Lasell within a point at 12-11 but another Gorenc kill and a pair of Lasers errors handed the set and the match to Emerson.

Lasell will resume their 2014 campaign on Saturday March 22^nd when they square-off with Anna Maria and Mount Ida in a GNAC tri-match at Anna Maria.