MVB: Lasers fall to Stevens and St. Joe's to open the season

Hoboken, N.J. – The Lasell University Lasers men's volleyball team fell to the Stevens Insitute of Technology and St. Joseph's College of Long Island, 3-0 and 3-2, Saturday at Canavan Arena.

Game 1 vs Stevens (3-0)

The first 14 points saw nothing separate the two sides as it was knotted up at seven a piece. Stevens then took the lead and opened a small lead going on a six-point run with two kills from junior Percy Pickford (Santa Monica, Calif.). A kill by junior Brenden Joyce (Randolph, Mass.) stopped the run but the Ducks added two with an attack error and a kill by graduate student Jack Fyda (Park Ridge, Ill.). The Lasers then cut the lead down with a pair of three-point runs. The first with points coming off a service error and then a service ace by junior Jesus Garcia (Honolulu, Hawaii) followed by a Joyce kill. The second run was led by a kill from freshman Theo Zaharewicz (Bethany, Conn.). The Lasers did not have one more run in them as the Ducks were able to keep them behind to win the first set 25-20.

The Ducks got out to an early lead in the second set with a four-point run ended with a kill by Pickford. The teams traded points until the Lasers tied the game on a three-point run started by a kill from Zaharewicz. Stevens took the lead back but was quickly taken by the Lasers on another three-point run. The Ducks stormed back with a few points remaining in the set, going on a four-point run highlighted with a kill from junior Louden Moran (Joliet, Ill.). Stevens finished off the Lasers in the second set with a kill by senior Stedman Van Arsdale (Westport, Conn.) to go up two to zero.

The Lasers got off to a hot start in the third set scoring six of the first seven points with kills from Joyce, senior Brandon Hapgood (Wilbraham, Mass.), and freshman Alex Weinhaus (Smithtown, N.Y.). Two three-point runs separated by a Joyce kill got the game tied at seven a piece. The Ducks then tallied five straight points with kills by Fyda and junior Connor Feulner (Orlando, Fla.). The Lasrs hung tough though answering any runs by the Ducks to keep the game close, but they could not close the deficit to fall 25-21 in the final set.

Joyce led the game with 16 kills while Zaharewicz marked his debut with 11 kills. Fyda led the Ducks with 11 kills and Bickford had nine kills.

Game 2 vs St. Joe's (LI) (3-2)

There was little to separate both sides through most of the first set. St. Joe's took an early two to one lead and the teams continued to trade points until the Golden Eagles got the lead to two at 10-8. The Golden Eagles were able to open a three-point lead with a kill by graduate student Paul Curaro (Holbrook, N.Y.) The Lasers answered scoring five of the next six points with two kills from freshman Carter Philips (Kula, Hawaii) leading the run to take the lead. St. Joe's answered right back scoring eight of the last nine points, including the last five points to close out set one 25-19.

Just like in set one, there was little the separate the two sides early on, but St. Joe's was able to build up a three-point lead. Lasell took the lead with a four-point run with a service ace by Joyce along with kills by Joyce and Zaharewicz. The Golden Eagles got the game tied with a kill by graduate student Mark Jansen (Bay Shore, N.Y.) and took the lead back with a kill by Curaro. Three kills over four points for Lasell by Joyce gave the Lasers a two-point cushion and they would not relinquish that as the teams traded points until Joyce gave set two to the Lasers.

The story of set three was the runs by both sides being the difference. St. Joe's had the first run to take the lead. Lasell quickly answered with a four-point run led by two kills by Joyce to open a three-point lead. The Golden Eagles responded with a three-point run started by a kill from senior Jason Siriban (East Meadow, N.Y.). The Lasers opened the game up with a six-point lead immediately after the St. Joe's run. Five attacking errors by the Golden Eagles helped Lasell open a six-point lead. The Golden Eagles only could cut the Laser lead to five as a kill by Philips ended set three in favor of the Lasers.

The Golden Eagles were in control of the fourth set from the start, jumping out to a 7-2 lead. They opened a 10-point lead with three kills by Curaro and one from Siriban. The Laser clawed their way back into the game scoring eight of the next eleven points led by three kills by Zaharewicz, and a kill from Joyce, junior Tucker Merritt (Redondo Beach, Calif.) and freshman Lee Naea (Pearl City, Hawaii). It was not enough as the Golden Eagles scored four of the last five points to force a fifth set.

The teams were even midway through the set with the scored knotted up at eight to eight before the Lasers pulled out by three on a kill by Joyce. Both teams then had two-point runs with the Lasers only needing two points to take the match. The Golden Eagles rattled off three straight points to tie the game at 13. The Lasers got the lead back on a service error with only one point needed to win the match. Curaro forced extra points with a kill, and they never let the Lasers score another point to take the set and the match.

Joyce had 18 kills to lead Lasell while Zaharewicz had 15 kills and Merritt had 10. Garcia led the game with 44 assists. Curaro led the game with 22 kills and sophomore Mark Williams (Lake Grove N.Y.) had 15 kills while sophomore Clint Johnson (Holbrook, N.Y.) had 42 assists.

The Lasers will be back in action on Friday, January 21, when they will take on Nazareth College at the SUNY Poly Tournament.