WVB: Lasell splits GNAC pair against Rivier and Dean in regular season finale

NASHUA, N.H. – The Lasell University women's volleyball team wrapped up the regular season Saturday afternoon, splitting a pair of Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) matches at Rivier University.

The Lasers fell to host Rivier in the opening match, 3-0, which clinched the GNAC regular season title for the Raiders. Lasell bounced back with a 3-0 victory over Dean College in the second match of the afternoon. Rivier defeated Dean in the final match to finish off an unbeaten GNAC campaign.

Lasell finishes the regular season with a 16-12 overall record, and 7-6 mark in the GNAC. The Lasers will be the #7 seed in next week's GNAC Tournament, and will be on the road Tuesday for a quarterfinal match at the #2 seed. The complete tournament field will be announced at the end of Saturday's regular season matches.

Rivier 3, Lasell 0 (25-15, 25-11, 25-16)

The Raiders attacked at a .468 clip while holding Lasell to a .111 hitting percentage. Rivier also posted 19 service aces compared to four for the Lasers.

Freshman Lily Sills (Carlisle, Mass.) and senior Sydney Racevicius (Coventry, Conn.) recorded 11 kills apiece for the Raiders, with Sills hitting at a .786 percentage (11-0-14) and Racevicius at .688 percentage (11-0-16). Sills and seniors Avery Pollard (Ballston Lake, N.Y.) and Leah Giampietro (Coventry, R.I.) all collected five service aces apiece, and Pollard totaled 31 set assists.

Freshman Mckenna McCool (Loomis, Calif.) was the top hitter for Lasell, smashing seven kills, and classmate Tori Scambray (Brea, Calif.) added five winners. Senior Jess Langan (Burnt Hills, N.H.) finished with 14 assists, and freshman Camila Lopez (Barquisimeto, Venezuela) topped the team with five digs.

Back-to-back kills by McCool and Scambray kept the Lasers within three points (8-5) in the first set, but Rivier started to pull away. Lasell was within four points (14-10), but a seven-point Raider rally pushed the margin to 21-10, and Rivier went on to a 25-15 decision.

Lasell stayed within striking distance in the second set, trailing just 9-8, but Rivier went on a 12-1 run to open up a 21-9 lead and the Lasers couldn't recover as the Raiders closed out a 25-11 verdict in the set.

A determined Laser squad started the third set with a 4-2 lead, including kills by Lopez and McCool, but Rivier rallied with a 14-1 surge to take a commanding lead. The Raiders went on to finish off the set, 25-16, and the match, 3-0.

Lasell 3, Dean 0 (25-18, 25-10, 25-14)

Scambray and Lopez led the Lasers with eight kills apiece against the Bulldogs. Scambray attacked at a .400 percentage (8-2-15) while Lopez hit at a .333 clip (8-2-18). Scambray also hit double digits with 10 digs. Senior Meg Roberts (Newington, Conn.) chipped in with six kills and a .625 attack percentage (6-1-8).

The Lasers also got solid performances by Langan, who had five aces along with 27 assists, and freshman Hope McFall (Bellingham, Wash.), who had five aces and 10 digs.

The first set went back and forth, with Lasell leading early on (8-5) and Dean coming back to take a 13-11 advantage. The Bulldogs were up 16-14 when the Lasers caught fire, going on an 11-2 spurt to win the set, 25-18. Scambray had three kills in the late rally, while McFall had two aces and McCool a kill and two aces

The Lasers got off to a strong start in the second set, jumping to an 11-3 lead on the strength of two kills each from McCool and Roberts, and one apiece from Lopez and Scambray. The Bulldogs got three points in a row the cut the margin but Lasell answered with an 11-1 run, sparked by two kills from Lopez, two aces by McFall and an ace and a kill by Scambray. A winner by freshman Juliana Medini (Roxbury, N.J.) closed out the set for the Lasers.

Lasell led 14-10 in the third set before rattling off nine straight points on Langan's serving. The Lasers finished off the match on a kill by Roberts.

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