Ducks Sweep Lasers 3-0 in Men's Volleyball Tournament

UNION, N.J. (3/6/15) - The Stevens Institute of Technology took away a 3-0 sweep over the Lasell College men's volleyball team Friday evening in The Clash at Kean tournament event. With the setback, the Lasers drop to 7-2 overall, while the Ducks extend their winning streak to four at 4-2. 

The Ducks took all three sets with scores of 25-20, 27-25 and 25-10.

Stevens took eight of the 11 opening points in the first set, capped by a pair of kills by junior middle Etan Bennett. A kill from outside hitter Chris Vaughan put the Ducks up by six points 16-10, however a few attack errors and a kill from Lasers' senior Dan Raffol (Natick, Mass.) cut the deficit to two, 16-14. The Ducks then went on a 7-3 run against the Lasers, Vaughan capturing the first set 25-20 with the final kill.

The Lasers set the pace in the second set, opening with a 4-2 run. Lasell held onto the lead via stellar performances from juniors Ryan Jackson (Canton, Ohio) and Jeffrey Vautrin (Chicopee, Mass.) pushing the score 12-7. A block from Stevens' Ryan Brandow and Gabe Shankweiler knotted the match at 13 all, but Vautrin and Raffol responded with a pair of kills to keep the Lasers on top 16-13. Points were divivded amongst the two teams for the remaing stretch of the game, topped by a Vaughan kill to tie the game at 25. A Lasell error and another Vaughan kill assured the Ducks' second set victory 27-25.

Shankweiler dished out three service aces in the closing set to double up on the Lasers 12-6. Stevens scored 10-straight on Shankweiler's service, including another trio of aces, where the Ducks took a lead as big as 17. Bennett sealed the 25-10 win with the final kill of the game, and his eighth of the night.

Vautrin led all players with a game-high 11 kills and 6 digs, while Raffol chipped in with five kills and nine digs. Junior Andrew Glenn (Westport, Conn.) also contributed 22 assists and four digs in the losing effort.

The Lasers will play their final two matches of the tournament on Saturday, February 7, resuming the court at 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to take on Junita College and Stevenson University, respectively.