Men's Volleyball: Lasers earn fourth straight victory with 3-1 win over Regis

NEWTON, Mass. - Junior setter Jesus Garcia of the Lasell University men's volleyball team finished with match-highs of 32 assists and 10 digs, as the Lasers defeated Great Northeast Athletic Conference-rival Regis, 3-1, on Thursday evening in the Athletic Center.

"Tonight was a great match for our team," said Lasell University Men's Volleyball Head Coach Jeff Vautrin. "Even though we dropped a set, we were able to give a number of our guys some looks and they definitely rose to the occasion. Rande Monahan did great for us from the serving line. The leadership on the court was also very noticeable in the third and fourth set thanks to Jan Baranowski, Jesus Garcia and Brenden Joyce."

Freshman Jordan Shinaut tallied a match-best 14 kills for the Lasers (6-5, 2-0 GNAC), as Lasell has won four straight and six of its last seven matches. Jan Baranowski (9 kills), Ryan Fuller (8 digs), Alex Weinhaus (8 digs) and Brenden Joyce (7 kills, 4 digs) all contributed to the win.

Matt Ferrara finished with a team-high 13 kills for the Pride (3-7, 0-4 GNAC). Tyrell Bucasas (13 assists, 8 digs), Joseph Perez (9 kills, 9 digs) and Brendan Lam (20 assists) also played well for Regis.

A kill by freshman middle blocker Carter Philips gave Lasell a 14-9 advantage in the first set. Regis hung around in the set and cut the deficit down to 24-22 on a kill by Ferrara. Shinaut responded on the ensuing point for the hosts, ending the set with a kill.

The second set was tightly contest with neither team getting a lead bigger than three points. A kill by Shinaut evened the score at 23-23, but a service ace by Perez closed out a 25-23 win for the Pride.

Lasell hit the ground running in the third set, building a 12-4 lead on a kill by Garcia and ace from Fuller. Shinaut secured a 25-15 victory with a game-clinching kill.

The Lasers stayed aggressive in the fourth set, as a kill by junior middle blocker Tucker Merritt gave the unit a 12-2 advantage. Merritt factored into the final three points of the set, including a kill, ace and service point, allowing Lasell to finish off a 25-13 triumph.

Lasell finished with 48 kills and seven service aces. The team compiled double-digit kill totals in all four sets.

The Lasers will compete against Wentworth and Elms Saturday at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.

Director of Athletic Communications Trevor Wenners can be reached at twenners@lasell.edu.

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