Box Score The fourth seeded Johnson & Wales University men's volleyball team was eliminated from the 2014 Great Northeast Athletic Conference Championship after a heart breaking 3-2 (26-24, 25-22, 26-28, 18-25, 11-15) setback against fifth seeded Lasell in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament at the Wildcat Center on Tuesday evening.
Shawn Kennedy (West Barnstable, Mass.) recorded a double-double for JWU, tallying 17 kills with 11 digs while sophomore Ryan Kennedy (West Barnstable, Mass.) notched 14 kills, three digs and two blocks in the setback. Junior J.J. Bessette (Coventry, R.I.) tallied 50 set assists, nine digs and three blocks while sophomore Kyle Eva (Charlestown, R.I.) added 11 kills and three for the Wildcats.
Lasell was led by junior Daniel Raffol (Natick, Mass.) with 17 kills and six digs while sophomore Jeff Vautrin (Chicopee, Mass.) had 15 kills, seven digs and four blocks in the victory. Sophomore Ryan Jackson (Massillon, Ohio) notched a double-double with 12 kills and 15 digs while sophomore Andrew Glenn (Westport, Conn.) had 53 set assists and eight digs for the Lasers.
In the opening set, JWU trailed 24-19 after a service error. The Wildcats then closed out the set with the next seven points, including a kill by Ryan Kennedy to give the squad the 26-24 win. In the second set the two teams battled back and forth with the score tied 10-10. The Wildcats took their largest lead of the set, 21-16 after a Lasell service error. JWU then held on for the 25-22 victory. The third set saw neither team take more than a three point advantage with the score knotted 26-26 on a kill by freshman Kyle MacKnight (Northport, N.Y.). The visiting Lasers then closed out the set with the next two points, cutting the lead to 2-1 for the match. Lasell never trailed in the fourth set, taking its largest lead of the game, 19-13 on a kill by sophomore Drew Caruso (Haverhill, Mass.). The Lasers then took the 25-18 win to knot the match 2-2 and sent it to the deciding fifth set. In the fifth set, it as a back and forth battle with Johnson & Wales holding an 11-10 lead on a kill by Shawn Kennedy. It wouldn't be enough, however as Lasell scored the last five points of the math to take the 15-11 win in the set and the 3-2 match victory.
With the loss Johnson & Wales wraps up the 2014 season with a 19-11 record while Lasell improves to 20-10 on the year. The Lasers will travel to Rivier to face top seeded Rivier in the semifinals of the GNAC Championship on Thursday, April 10th at 7:00 p.m.
