WVB: Lasers split in day 1 of St. John Fisher tournament

Pittsford, N.Y. - It was day 1 of the St. John Fisher tournament for the Lasell women's volleyball team in which Lasell fell to the host St. John Fisher 3-1 in the first match and then sweeping Penn St.- Behrend. Lasell is now 5-6 on the season as a result of today's action from their first day in this tournament. 

Match 1: St. John Fisher

In the first set, it was a consistent back and forth between the two teams as they traded points early on. When the set was tied at 13 apiece, the Lasers capitalized on a Hope McFall (Bellingham, Wash.) service ace and 3 straight attack errors from which were blocked by Emily VanHouten (Rockaway, N.J.) and Juliana Medini (Roxbury, N.J.), forcing the Cardinals to call a timeout at 17-13. After the timeout, the Cardinals looked to build some momentum as they were trailing 20-16 and scored 3 straight points to cut it to a 1 point deficit. It looked as if the momentum would've shifted their way but a set-ending kill from Camila Lopez (Barquisimeto, Venezuela) gave the Lasers the first set victory.

In the second set, the Cardinals responded very well jumping out to a 6-1 lead and any time the Lasers tried to build the momentum to keep it close, the host team would build up a lead that made it more difficult for Lasell to climb back. St. John Fisher would take the second set by a score of 25-14.

The third set was very similar to the first one as both teams traded blows.The Lasers would grab a 11-9 lead from a five point stretch that included 3 errors by the Cardinals and 2 kills from freshman Morgan Bogli (Vernon, Ct.). Then, the Cardinals of St. John Fisher would gain momentum by scoring 6 straight points, building a 15-11 lead. As the game went on and the game was tied 18-18, the Lasers gave up 3 kills and committed three attack errors in which the Cardinals capitalized to pull away and win the set.

The final set was close early on until St. John Fisher pulled away midway through the set leading as much as 13 points. Eventually, the Lasers would fall in the final set losing to the Cardinals 25-13.

For the Lasers, McKenna McCool (Loomis, Calif.) had 6 kills. Bogli and Lopez both had 5 kills apiece and Madalyn Scully (Mauston, Wis.) had 4 kills, respectively. Maddie Caro (Chula Vista, Calif.) led the Lasers with 17 digs, followed by Emily Cerasani (Buena Park, Calif.) who recorded 7 digs along with 9 assists. Sydney Katz (Ridgefield, Ct.) recorded 11 assists. Juliana Medini recorded 5 blocks as well for the Lasers.

Match 2: Penn St.-Behrend

The Lasers got off to a very hot start in the first set as they quickly jumped to a 10-1 lead after 2 kills from McCool, 3 service aces from Katz, and 5 errors from the Lions. Lasell controlled the majority of the set and while the Lions of Penn St.- Behrend tried to build up a comeback, it was already too late as the Lasers snatched set 1 with a score of 25-19. 

In the second set, the Lasers would jump out again to a 6-1 lead but then the Lions responded by tying it up 7-7. As the match went on, both teams looked to take advantage and snag the set. A well-balanced attack by the Lasers would ultimately give them the slight edge in the second set as they snuck away with the victory to go up 2-0.

The final set was determined by the attack of McKenna McCool and Camila Lopez as they both combined for 9 kills to help pace the Lasers in the attack. In addition, the Lasers capitalized on their serves with 6 service aces to help produce points on the boards, which would ultimately be a big influence on the outcome of the final set. A match-ending kill by Emily VanHouten would commit the sweep on the Lions as the Lasers defeat Penn St.- Behrend.

For the Lasers, Camila Lopez and McKenna McCool combined for 21 of the Laser's 30 kills in the match. Sydney Katz would compile 24 of Lasell's 30 assists and Maddie Caro would produce 10 digs, followed by McCool and Katz, who had 6 apiece as well. Madalyn Scully would also produce 4 blocks on the defensive end to help the Lasers as well.

Lasell is back in action tomorrow afternoon when they compete in day 2 of the St. John Fisher tournament where they will rematch Nazareth at 12pm and take on Geneseo at 2pm right after.