CHICOPEE, Mass. - Elms College sophomore outside hitter Yonalvy Acosta (Holyoke, Mass.) blasted 13 kills, while sophomore setter Mike Martin (Enfield, Conn.) handed out 29 assists to help pace the Blazers to a 3-0 (30-8, 30-10, 30-17) sweep of Regis College in Thursday evening's North East Collegiate Volleyball Association (NECVA) New England Division men's volleyball match at Picknelly Arena.
With the win, Elms snapped its five-match losing streak to improve to 2-6 overall, 2-2 in NECVA action, while Regis falls to 0-3 on the season, 0-2 in league play.
Leading 2-0 in the contest, the Blazers opened up a 20-11 lead in the third frame before Regis used a 4-1 run to cut the Elms lead to 21-15. A kill and three service aces from Acosta, and a kill by Martin highlighted a 6-1 run for the Blazers, lifting the score to 27-16. From there, Elms used a Pride service error and two aces from junior outside hitter Mike Ryan (Ludlow, Mass.) to seal the set and the match.
Acosta downed 13 kills on 18 swings with just one error to hit at an impressive .667 mark for the match, while Ryan finished with seven kills and a game-high 10 digs in the winning effort.
Elms set the tone early, posting a commanding 19-3 lead in the opening stanza. The Blazers extended that lead to 25-8 before a kill each from Ryan, and sophomore outside hitter Stephen Cameron (Newington, Conn.), and a pair of service aces from Martin propelled Elms to a 30-8 victory in the set.
The Blazers gained a quick advantage in the second frame, coasting to a 19-5 lead. Elms then scored six of the next nine points to stake a 25-8 lead. A kill by Acosta, an ace by Cameron, and a pair of kills by freshman middle hitter Wilfrido Fermin (Bronx, N.Y.) capped a 5-1 run to secure the set and a 2-0 lead in the match.
Cameron downed six kills on the night, while Fermin terminated four balls.
Acosta and Ryan served up eight aces each while Acosta and sophomore libero Juan Carlos Salmeron (Springfield, Mass.) added nine digs apiece.
Sophomore middle hitter Aaron Coifman (Caracas, Venezuela) smashed three kills and added a solo block and an assisted block, while Acosta also added a solo stuff and assisted on another.
Andrew Carroll (Natick, Mass.) led the Pride with three kills, while Thomas Paoletta (Plastow, N.H) handed out six helpers in the losing effort.
Elms returns to NECVA New England Division and New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) action on Saturday, Jan. 30 when it hosts Newbury College. First-serve is slated for 7:00 p.m. at Picknelly Arena.