WVB: Lasell drops GNAC pair against Regis and Johnson & Wales

WESTON, Mass. – The Lasell University women's volleyball team was on the short end of a pair matches against two of the top teams in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Saturday afternoon, falling to Regis College and Johnson & Wales University by 3-0 scores at the Regis Athletic Complex.

Regis took the first match from Lasell by set scores of 25-14, 25-21, and 25-19, and the Lasers didn't fare any better against JWU, losing by scores of 25-18, 25-17 and 25-15.

Johnson & Wales, which edged Regis 3-1 in the final match of the day, ends the day in second place in the GNAC with a 10-1 conference record (16-7 overall), while Regis is in third place with a 9-3 conference ledger (18-7 overall). Lasell is in seventh place with a 5-4 GNAC mark, 13-10 overall.

The Lasers still have four conference matches remaining, all next week as the regular season wraps up; they will host make-up matches against Simmons University (Tuesday, 6 p.m.) and Emmanuel College (Friday, 6 p.m.) before wrapping up the regular season in a tri-match next Saturday, October 30, at league-leading Rivier University with Dean College.

Regis 3, Lasell 0 (25-14, 25-21, 25-19)

Freshman Mckenna McCool (Loomis, Calif.) provided the bright spots for Lasell, recording 12 kills with a .259 attack percentage (12-5-27). Classmate Tori Scambray (Brea, Calif.) smashed nine kills with a .333 attack percentage (9-2-21), and senior Jess Langan (Burnt Hills, N.H.) finished with 23 set assists. First-year Camila Lopez (Barquisimeto, Venezuela) topped the team with six digs.

Lasell came out strong against the Pride, and took an 8-5 lead in the first set after kills by freshman Juliana Medini (Roxbury, N.J.) and McCool, sandwiched around an ace by Scambray. But Regis answered with six consecutive points to take the lead for good. Lasell was within five points at 19-14, but the Pride rattled off six straight points to take the opening set.

The Lasers pulled ahead 7-4 in the second set after a kill by Scambray, but Regis answered with three in a row to tie the score. Lasell responded with a 7-1 surge, keyed by four kills from McCool, to grab a 14-8 advantage, but Regis answered again with a six-point swing to even the score at 14-all. After a Lasell timeout, the teams went back and forth before Regis pulled away for a 25-21 decision, taking a 2-0 set lead.

Regis had an early lead in the third set, but Lasell did not give up, forcing ties at 10, 11 and 12-all and taking 14-12 lead after back-to-back aces by McCool. The Lasers held an 18-14 advantage when Regis turned it up a notch, rattling off nine unanswered points, including several service aces by Mica van der Meulen, to take an insurmountable lead before closing out the set, and the match.

Johnson & Wales 3, Lasell 0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-15)

Scambray and McCool posted seven kills apiece to lead the Lasers, Scambray with a .300 attack percentage along with a team-high six digs. Senior Meg Roberts (Newington, Conn.) chipped in with four kills and two blocks, and Langan finished with 20 assists.

Lasell took an early 4-0 lead after a kill by Roberts, but JWU came right back and tied it up. It was a 6-4 Laser lead when the Wildcats won nine of the next 10 points to take a 13-7 advantage. The teams went back and forth but Lasell couldn't come back and JWU held on for the 25-18 set victory.

The teams were close during the second set, with Lasell trailing just 13-12 midway through. But JWU came alive with a 9-2 surge to open up a 22-14 advantage, going on to a 25-17 win in the set.

The Wildcats had a small lead early in the third set, up 9-5, before going on a seven-point run to push the margin to double-digits at 16-5. That proved to be too much for Lasell to overcome and JWU went on the take the set and clinch the match.

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