Lasell Women’s Volleyball falls to national powerhouse Johnson & Wales

NEWTON, Mass. – The Lasell College women's volleyball team ran into one of the top teams in Division 3 Wednesday evening, falling to Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) powerhouse Johnson & Wales University, 3-0, at the Athletic Center.

Fresh off a number two national ranking and number one in the first NCAA New England regional poll, the Wildcats were too much for Lasell, 25-9, 25-22, 25-9.

Johnson & Wales won its 34th conference match in a row, dating back to the 2015 season. JWU has won 64-consecutive sets against GNAC opponents, 88 in a row during the regular season. The Wildcats extended the longest active winning streak in the nation to 23 matches.

Freshman Kiana Perez (Juncos, P.R.) managed eight kills in the match for Lasell and senior Olivia Addington (Orange, Calif.) knocked down seven winners. Sophomore Allie Jo Amos (Prescott, Ariz.) recorded 16 digs and Addington was good for 12.

JWU dominated the first and third sets, including the final stanza when they hit .391. Lasell was limited to nine kills total in those two sets.

Lasell gave the visitors a tough challenge in the middle set, pulling out to an 11-5 advantage and leading most of the set. The largest margin was 13-7, and it was 18-13 a few minutes later. The Wildcats went on an 8-1 run to take the lead, and closed out the set by winning four of the last five points.

The Lasers are home again this Saturday for a tri-match at the Athletic Center on "Dig Pink" Breast Cancer Awareness Day. Lasell will meet GNAC foe Simmons College in a key battle at 11:00 a.m. and non-conference opponent Mass. College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) at 3:00 p.m., with Simmons and MCLA playing at 1:00 p.m.

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