MVB: Lasers Fall in GNAC Championship

Boston, MA - The Lasell Lasers Men's Volleyball team competed in the GNAC Championship on Saturday, and for the second straight year they fell to the Wentworth Leopards, falling 25-16, 16-25, 22-25, 14-25. The Lasers record fell to 20-13, while the Leopards moved to 25-7.

With things tied at five in the first set, the Lasers went on a critical 4-0 run that gave them control of the set. They then had an answer for every Leopard score, never letting the Leopards get closer than two points. They would take the set 25-19.

Set two remained close early, but a 4-0 run by the Leopards gave them a 14-9 lead. The Lasers would get within three, but a 5-0 run by WIT put away any questions, and they took the set 25-16.

As is the case with most volleyball matches, the third set proved to be the most important. The Leopards got out to an early 8-4 lead, but a 3-0 run that included a Jesus Garcia ace brought the Lasers within one. The two teams then traded points back and forth, until the Lasers put together a run, and tied things up at 17. The two teams would then continue to trade points, with ties at 18, 19, and 20. After a pair of kills from Theo Zaharewicz and Jordan Shinaut, and all the momentum with the Lasers, the Leopards called timeout. They would then go on a 5-0 run to end the set, including two back breaking service aces. They took the set 25-22. The Lasers were never able to recover, and ultimately fell in set four 25-14, giving the match to Wentworth 3-1.

The Lasers had 42 kills in the match, and 36 came from either Brenden Joyce (13), Theo Zaharewicz (13), or Jordan Shinaut (10). Jesus Garcia also had a set assist on 36 of the Lasers' kills. Alex Weinhaus recorded 10 digs in the match, many of which were of the difficult variety. Shinaut also had eight digs and four blocks. As a team, the Lasers had 15 total blocks, with a majority of them (14) coming in that successful first set.

Up Next - The Lasers will wait and see if they are selected for the NCAA Tournament on Monday.