Men's Volleyball: Tucker Merritt tallies career-high five solo blocks in 3-1 loss to MIT

NEWTON, Mass. - Jordan Shinaut recorded a team-high 16 kills and Tucker Merritt compiled 10 kills and a career-high five solo blocks for the No. 15 Lasell University men's volleyball team during a 3-1 setback to MIT Friday evening in the Athletic Center.

"MIT is probably one of the tougher teams around and has one of the deepest rosters across the nation," said Lasell University Men's Volleyball Head Coach Jeff Vautrin. "Going into today we knew it was going to be a battle. With one of our top guys in Brenden Joyce being out because of injury we knew that we needed to be at the top of our game."

Junior setter Jesus Garcia posted team-highs of 29 assists and eight digs for the Lasers (12-7, 6-1 GNAC). Shinaut, who has won three straight Great Northeast Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week awards, has tallied double-digit kill totals in 10 matches this season. Merritt has posted four or more total blocks in each of the last five matches.

"Our middle pairing definitely stepped up big with dominant performances on the defensive end and Jan Baranowski was especially impactful from the service line," said Vautrin. "Shinaut once again carried a heavy offensive load and did a great job with a consistent block in front of him. However, the Engineers served well and kept us out of system for a majority of the match. With one of our best out-of-system hitters on the bench, the task seemed a little too steep to climb this time."

Nicholas Gustafson led the way for the Engineers (10-5, 1-3 United Volleyball Conference) with a match-leading 19 kills. Jack Yurkanin tallied 16 kills and seven digs, while Dylan Ryan led all players with six blocks, featuring three solo ones and three assists. Grant Oh posted nine kills and a team-leading eight digs, while Max Turner led the match with 33 assists.

A service ace by freshman Theo Zaharewicz gave the Lasers a 13-8 advantage in the first set. Shinaut put the hosts in front, 23-18, on a kill by Shinaut, assisted by Garcia, and then a service error by MIT allowed Lasell to win the first set, 25-20.

The Lasers carried the momentum into the second set, as the unit built a 7-2 advantage. The Engineers kept chipping away and took their first lead of the day at 16-15 on an ace by Ryan. A kill by Gustafson sealed a 25-21 second-set triumph for MIT.

A 5-0 surge, which included two kills by Merritt, one kill by Shinaut and an ace by Baranowski, gave the Lasers an 11-9 lead in the third set. MIT responded with a 10-3 run, raking a 19-14 advantage. Lasell trimmed the deficit down to 20-19 and 21-20, but the Engineers were able to take a 2-1 advantage with a 25-21 third-set victory.

After falling behind, 10-6, in the fourth set, Lasell pulled in front, 14-13, on a kill by Zaharewicz. A kill by Gustafson put the visitors in front, 23-20, and then the Engineers closed out the match with a 25-22 triumph in the fourth set.

MIT held a 51-42 advantage in kills and a 35-25 lead in digs, while also leading the blocks category, 11-8. Lasell tallied double-digit kill totals in all four sets. Merritt finished with a .471 hitting percentage, while Yurkanin tallied a mark of .481 in the same category.

The Lasers will compete against Rivier and Emmanuel at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., respectively, on Saturday, March 19, in Nashua, New Hampshire.

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

-

For continuing coverage of Laser athletics, stay up to date with our website and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.