Auburndale, Mass. – The Albertus Magnus College men's volleyball team lost on the road in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action to Lasell, 3-0, on Thursday evening inside the Athletic Center. The host Lasers remained perfect in league play with a 25-14, 25-13 and 25-8 victory.
With their fourth straight setback, the Falcons move to 5-7 on the year and 0-5 in GNAC matches, while Lasell improved to 12-10 overall and 8-0 in league tilts. The Lasers completed the season sweep of the Falcons aftering topping AMC earlier in the season in New Haven.
Leading the charge for the Lasers was junior Tristan Davis (Rochester, N.Y.) with 11 kills and three service aces, while Patrick Macdonald (Floral Park, N.Y.) followed with nine kills, seven digs, and three block assists. An evenly balanced defense was led by sophomore Alex Moule (Rockaway Beach, NY.), who notched nine digs, while freshman Jordan Aprea (Newington, Conn.) matched MacDonald's seven digs.
For the Falcons, senior outside hitter Justin Tharau (Burlington, Conn.) registered five kills and seven digs, while classmate Ben Spilka (Redding, Conn.) hit the floor for eight digs with four additional kills.
The Lasers opened up the evening with a 17-kill performance in the first set (25-14), highlighted by six blasts from Davis. Off to a shaky start in set two, the Lasers allowed the Falcons to deadlock the score, 5-5, with each point coming from a Lasell error. A quick 4-0 run with Moule on the serve restored the lead for the Lasers, 10-5, where they held the lead for the game's remainder. Senior setter Andrew Glenn (Westport, Conn.) served up a 4-0 stretch of his own, highlighted by a service ace and two rockets from MacDonald. A final kill from senior Ryan Jackson (Canton, Ohio) sealed the second set, 25-14, heading into the final stanza of the evening.
The Lasell first-years led the way in a final 25-8 set victory, as David Anthony (Cranston, R.I.) led the squad with three kills, while Andy Henriquez (Lawrence, Mass.) matched Glenn and MacDonald with two. The hosts led from start to finish, with freshman Nathan Gallo (North Providence, R.I.) closing out the match on a service ace alongside five straight points from the service line.
As a team, AMC recorded 13 kills, two aces, 28 digs and six blocks.
Albertus Magnus returns to action on Saturday, March 19, with a conference tri-match against Emerson and Emmanuel. The Falcons face the host lions before square off with the Saints in the Bay State.
For the latest information on the men's volleyball team and Albertus Magnus athletics, follow AMCAthletics on Twitter and visit AlbertusFalcons.com.