Men’s Volleyball Tops GNAC in 3-1 Victory over Rivier

NEWTON, Mass. (3/3/15) – The Lasell College men's volleyball team recorded their seventh straight win Tuesday night in the Athletic Center defeating nationally ranked Rivier University 3-1 by set scores of 25-23, 25-20, 22-25, and 25-16.  The Lasers now top the Great Northeast Athletic Conference standings at 5-1 and 14-3 overall, while the Raiders suffer their first conference loss at 3-1 and 7-7 overall. 

Lasell College senior Dan Raffol (Natick, Mass.) tallied 15 kills while junior Jeffrey Vautrin (Chicopee, Mass.) registered 12 kills in the victory.  Sophomore Tristan Davis (Rochester, N.Y.) held down the defense for the Lasers with a game-high four blocks.  

Senior Chris Markuson (Cupertino, Calif.) led the Raiders with a game-high 16 kills and 19.5 points, as Sophomore Tyler Blank (Rochester, N.Y.) dished out a match-high 46 digs in the losing effort.  

The score toggled back and forth throughout the first set until the Lasers came out on top (25-23) with crucial blocks from sophomore Patrick MacDonald (Floral Park, N.Y.), junior Drew Caruso (Haverhill, Mass.), and Davis. 

With three straight serves from MacDonald, the Lasers jumped to a 6-3 lead in the second set. A Vautrin kill would set the tempo for the remainder of the set, as the hosts began to pull away with the lead. MacDonald swung into a service ace to boost the Lasers to a five point lead, ending on a kill from Glenn for the match point.

The Raiders swung ahead of the Lasers in the third set, never giving up the lead. The visitors put the match out of reach for the time being after a kill from freshman Grant Andler (Chicago, Ill.) and Markuson. The hosts were able to knot the match at 17-17 following a kill by Caruso, however Rivier maintained the lead, ending the set 25-22.

Lasell controlled the pace of the final set, leading by as much as nine points. A trio of errors would cut the deficit to 21-15 for the Raiders, however, Macdonald, Raffol, and Vautrin rallied to end the set 25-16, clinching the 3-1 match victory.

The Lasers take on Dominican University and Endicott College in a non-conference tri-match on Sunday, March 8 at 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.  The Raiders travel to Kenosha, Wis. from March 6-7 to compete in a weekend tournament.