MEN'S VOLLEYBALL FALLS TO LASELL 3-0 IN GNAC ACTION

The Mount Ida College men's volleyball team dropped their fourth Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) contest Monday evening against visiting and neighbor rival Lasell College, 3-0, by scores of 30-25, 30-22, and 30-19.  The Mustangs fall to 4-6 overall and 2-4 in the GNAC while the Lasers improve to 9-4 on the year and 4-1 in the league. 

The Lasers jumped out to an immediate 10-5 advantage with a couple of kills from junior Dan Rogers (Belchertown, MA/Belchertown) in set one.  Mount Ida powered up the offense and cut the visiting lead to a deuce at 13-11 after a service error by the Lasers.  Although the visitors pulled ahead 17-12, the hosts came stampeding back tying the score at 22-22 due to a bunch of errors by Lasell.  Mount Ida took over the lead for the first time since the opening three points (2-1) up 24-22 after a service ace by freshman Ross Florexil (Lake Worth, FL/Lake Worth) and a solo block by junior Tom Belton (Springfield, MA/Springfield Central).  Unfortunately for the Mustangs, they could not hold on to the short lived lead watching the Lasers tallying the next five points leading 27-24.  The visitors ultimately went on to capture the 30-25 game one win snatching the 1-0 match lead.

It remained very close in the opening of game two with the visitors holding a small two point edge over the Mustangs up 10-8 after a host error.  The Lasers kept their advantage up by a small margin for the next couple of sets leading 20-14 after a Matt Roberts (Agawam, MA/Agawam) kill.  The visitors built a game high eight point lead after a 4-0 run with three Mount Ida errors and a service ace by Lasell.  Mount Ida had trouble keeping pace with the visitors and eventually succumbed in game two 30-22 leading 2-0 in the match.  The Mustangs had trouble harnessing their errors that kept piling up heavily throughout the set.

The Lasers dominated game three taking over quickly with a 15-6 advantage after a Mount Ida error.  The visitors went on to build a commanding 26-13 lead after cruising through an 11-7 run.  The Mustangs tried to cut the lead down, getting as close as nine (18-27) points after a couple of blocks from Belton and freshman Spencer Hastings (Orlando, FL/Timber Creak).  But the Lasers cranked up the offense powering a game three victory and the 3-0 match win. 

The Mustangs were led by Hastings with six kills and two total blocks while senior Shane Wilson (Gloucester, MA/Gloucester) added eight digs.  Florexil pitched in one solo block and two block assists. 

The Mustangs will host GNAC top ranked Rivier College this coming Thursday starting at 7:00 p.m.