Regis Men’s Volleyball Falls to Lasell

NEWTON, Mass. – Regis College came close to extending its match at Lasell University to at least a fourth set, but the Lasers prevailed over the Pride, 3-0 (25-16, 25-17, 27-25), Thursday night in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's volleyball contest at the Lasell Athletic Center.

Joseph Perez (Miami, Fla.) led the Pride with seven kills and four service aces, while Andrew Matzouranis (North Andover, Mass.) also collected seven kills as he hit .462 during the night. Defensively, Francesco Buanne (Caserta, Italy) earned two solo blocks in the third set, and Orlando Plagata (Los Angeles, Calif.) paced the backline with five digs.

Lasell (17-11, 11-2 GNAC) jumped out to a 9-2 lead in the first set, led by Jan Baranowski with two kills, a solo block, and a service ace. Perez earned consecutive service aces later in the set to bring the Pride within five points at 16-11, but the Lasers were able to close out the opening set on kills by Brenden Joyce and Baranowski as well as two Regis attack errors.

The Lasers opened a 9-4 advantage in the second set thanks in part to two kills by Cole Esterline, but Regis scored three straight points to close its deficit to two points. Lasell outscored Regis midway through the set, 10-5, and then took advantage of three Pride service errors late in the set to take a 2-0 match lead.

The Pride scored eight of the first 11 points of the third set, led by two kills from Matzouranis, but the Lasers quickly responded with five straight points, featuring consecutive kills by Joyce. Regis scored four unanswered points, including a kill by Matzouranis, a service ace from Jalen Watt (South Hadley, Mass.), and a solo block by Perez, to retake the lead at 12-8.

Two kills by Theo Zaharewicz allowed Lasell to pull ahead, 17-16, and then the Lasers eventually took a two-point lead at 23-21 on a kill by Aidan Norris. Regis scored the next three points on a kill by Matzouranis, a solo block from Buanne, and a service ace by Perez, but Lasell extended the set thanks to two Regis service errors. Lasell closed out the set and the match on a kill by Zaharewicz and a Pride ball-handling error.

Baranowski and Joyce led the Lasers with nine kills apiece, while Zaharewicz finished with eight kills and two service aces. Lasell setter Jesus Garcia dished out 28 assists and also tied Rande Monahan for the team lead with six defensive digs each.

Regis College (10-16, 5-7 GNAC) closes out the regular season with matches against Wentworth and Rivier during a GNAC tri-match hosted by the Leopards Saturday, April 6, starting at 11 a.m.