Garcia Registers 1000th Career Dig in Setback to RIC

NEWTON, Mass. (9/15/16) – Despite a 3-0 non-conference setback to Rhode Island College, Lasell women's volleyball junior Caitlyn Garcia (Moreno Valley, Calif.) registered her 1000^th career dig on Thursday night in the Athletic Center. 

The visitors swept the match with 25-18, 25-21 and 25-19 set wins.

The Lasers fall to 3-3 overall with the loss, while the Anchorwomen won their second straight match to move to 3-4.

Junior Michele Canestro (Castleton, N.Y.) led the Laser offense with ten kills, while junior Garcia and sophomore Olivia Addington (Orange, Calif.) each reached double digits in digs. Garcia's 21 digs were a team-high for the match, and her eighth of the night marked the 1,000th of her career. Junior Taylor Tiezzi (Meriden, Conn.) recorded 32 of Lasell's 35 assists.

Junior Courtney Lambrese (North Smithfield, R.I.) and sophomore Jillian Ward (Coventry, R.I.) each posted 14 kills for the Anchorwomen. Three different players surpassed the ten-dig mark, including sophomore Marisa Byrnes (Warwick, R.I.) with a team-best 16. Junior Abigayl White (Coventry, R.I.) paced RIC with 35 assists.

Canestro swung into two kills during the Lasers' 5-0 run to open the first set, but RIC responded with nine of the next 11 points. Junior Megan Armburg (Swansea, Mass.) served a pair of aces as RIC surged back into the game, tying it at 6-6. Lambrese posted three straight kills to give the Anchorwomen a 13-9 lead before three Laser errors later ended the game.

The Anchorwomen had to come back in the second set as well, but ultimately finished off a four-point win. RIC was on the opposite end of nine of the first 13 points, thanks to Addington dropping kills on four of Lasell's first eight.

The teams played to a rather even second set, but the visitors concluded with eight of the final nine points. Lambrese recorded the final two kills in the game, while junior Sierra Smith (Longmount, Colo.) brought RIC within three points of a 2-0 advantage for the match.

The Lasers posted 15 of their 36 kills in the second set before playing errorless volleyball with 11 kills in the final frame. RIC started the third game on a 4-0 run and scored nine of the first ten points. Armburg was one of three Anchorwomen to record an ace in the set as her second gave them a 19-14 lead.

Lasell returns to action on Saturday, September 17 for a non-conference tri-match at Keene State. The Lasers meet UMass-Dartmouth at 2:00 p.m. before taking on the Owls at 4:00 p.m. RIC returns home to host Southern Maine in its Little East Conference opener on Saturday at 11:00 a.m.