Men’s Volleyball Unable to Maintain Momentum in 3-1 Loss

NEWTON, Mass. – After winning the second set to tie the match at 1-1, Regis College was unable to maintain its momentum, as Lasell University took the next two sets for a 3-1 victory (25-22, 23-25, 25-15, 25-13) Thursday night in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference men's volleyball match at the Lasell Athletic Center.

Matt Ferrara (Sandown, N.H.) led the Pride offensively with 13 kills, while Joseph Perez (Miami, Fla.) finished with nine kills and nine digs. Kostea Andreenko (Marstons Mills, Mass.) also collected nine kills as he hit .467 in the match, Brendan Lam (Rockville, Md.) dished out 20 assists, and Marcello Cappuccio (Scotch Plains, N.J.) added nine digs of his own.

Perez and Andreenko earned two kills apiece as Regis took the early lead in the first set, but Lasell put together a 9-2 scoring run, led by Jan Baranowski with two kills, a solo block, and a service ace. Down 23-17, the Pride scored four straight points to pull within two, but the Lasers held on and clinched the opening set on a kill by Jordan Shinaut.

The second set was close throughout, with Regis eventually pulling ahead 15-13 on kills by Josh Nolen (Falls Church, Va.) and Ferrara. Lasell went on an 8-3 scoring run to take a 21-18 advantage, but the Pride answered right back with four straight points, including kills by Andreenko and Nolen. With the set tied at 22-22, Perez notched a kill and a set-clinching service ace to tie the match at one set apiece.

Lasell (6-5, 2-0 GNAC) opened a 13-4 lead in the third set, starting with a kill and a solo block from Shinaut and including three kills from Baranowski. After the Pride closed to within seven at 19-12, the Lasers finished the set with a 6-3 scoring stretch, led by Shinaut with two kills.

The Lasers continued their hot play in the fourth set, scoring 10 unanswered points to open a 12-2 lead. The Pride closed to within seven on a kill by Brendan Carroll (Natick, Mass.), but Lasell ended the set and the match with a 9-4 scoring run, including a kill and a service ace from Tucker Merritt.

Shinaut led the Lasers with 14 kills, while Baranowski finished with nine kills while hitting .533 in the match. Jesus Garcia notched a double-double with 32 assists and 10 digs as he led the Lasell offense to a team hitting percentage of .295.

Regis College (3-7, 0-4 GNAC) hosts Emerson College and King's College in a tri-match Saturday, Feb. 19, starting at 11 a.m. at Higgins Court.