Men's Volleyball: Lasers sweep Nichols to take home opener

NEWTON, Mass. – The Lasell University men's volleyball team earned a commanding 3-0 victory against Nichols during its home opener Thursday evening in the Athletic Center.

"The guys played a really clean game today," said Lasell University Men's Volleyball Head Coach Jeff Vautrin. "Dexter Thomas had a standout performance, hitting .778 with seven kills and no errors. Jordan Shinuat is gaining a much better connection with Jesus Garcia, and I think that definitely showed tonight with his dominant performance. We also were very solid from the service line as a team with 13 aces and only 11 errors, especially Brenden Joyce who led the charge with two aces, zero errors and 21 total serves. Things are starting to click and if we keep up this hard work and focus there is no doubt in my mind we will be competing amongst the top in the nation."

Lasell got off to a strong start and scored eight of the first 10 points, including two kills by freshman Jordan Shinaut and one kill by fellow classmate Theo Zaharewicz. Lasell kept it going, getting two straight points by freshman Dexter Thomas, first on a kill and second on a service ace to push the lead to eight at 14-6. The Bison got the lead down to seven. Then, a five-point surge by the Lasers, starting on a kill by Shinaut and finishing on a kill by Thomas, gave the hosts a 12-point lead. The Lasers took the first set, 25-12, with the final point being scored on a kill by junior Brenden Joyce.

Lasell jumped out to another big lead in the second set, scoring eight of the first nine points, with all eight coming in a row. The Lasers continued to add some distance, getting the lead to double figures at 15-5 on a four-point run that included a service ace by sophomore Ryan Fuller. Another four-point run got the lead up to 12 on a few attack errors by the Bison with the Lasers only needing three points to close out the set. The Bison did go down fighting, scoring the next three points, which included a kill by sophomore Tanner Soracco. Nichols scored seven of the last ten points but with Lasell took the second set, 25-17.

The Bison picked up where they left off in the second set, taking a 4-3 lead in the third, which included two kills by junior Jake Harasyko. Lasell went on a quick 5-0 run, including two aces by junior Riley Grenier, and took an 8-4 advantage. The teams traded points back and forth before a three-point run gave the Lases a six-point lead at 14-8. Following a service error on the Lasers, Lasell scored the next nine points, which included three service aces, one by Joyce and two by freshman David Massa. The Bison answered the run with a three-point run of their own, capped off with a kill from senior Collin Hunter. It was not enough as Lasell scored the final two points and finished the game on a service ace by senior Brandon Hapgood to win by a score of 25-12.

Shinaut led the match with 12 kills and Thomas had an efficient .778 kill percentage, getting seven kills in nine attack attempts. Joyce also added six kills in the winning effort.

The Lasers will be back in action on Thursday, Feb. 10, when they play host to Endicott. The match is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.

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