Men's Volleyball Takes a Set from Nationally Ranked Lasell at Home

CHICOPEE, Mass. - The Elms College Men's Volleyball team hosted No. 12 Lasell University for a conference match on Tuesday evening at Picknelly Arena.

BASICS
Score: Elms College 1 (23, 18, 30, 18) | No. 12 Lasell University 3 (25, 25, 28, 25)
Records: Blazers 13-9, 1-2 (GNAC) | Lasers 10-4, 4-0 (GNAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Lasell opened the match on a quick 3–0 run before Elms answered with its first momentum shift. A Lasell attack error put the Blazers on the board before first year David Dzhenzherukha (Agawam, Mass.) followed with a kill from first year Juan Jones (Springfield, Mass.) to trim the deficit. Service errors from both sides kept the score tight through the early stages, while junior Nick Uschmann (Agawam, Mass.) recorded a key kill off a Dzhenzherukha set to make it 11–11. Moments later, Jones and Dzhenzherukha combined for a strong block that gave Elms a 12–11 advantage. The Lasers answered with several quick points to regain control, but the Blazers continued to battle. Senior Rafa Artero (Madrid, Spain) delivered a late kill and a Lasell service error brought Elms within two before first year Xavier Lozado (Springfield, Mass.) fired an ace to cut the lead to 22–21. After another service error tied the score at 23–23 on a clutch Uschmann kill, the Lasers capitalized on consecutive Blazer attack errors to narrowly close out the opening set.

Elms started the second set with momentum as a Lasell service error gave the Blazers an early lead. Uschmann continued to pace the offense with another kill from Dzhenzherukha, while junior John Bellafronte (Enfield, Conn.) added a strong finish at the net to push Elms ahead 4–3. The Blazers extended the lead to 6–3 after a pair of Lasell attack errors and a block from Uschmann and Artero. However, the Lasers quickly flipped the momentum with a dominant service run that included three consecutive aces, turning a one-point deficit into an 8–6 lead. Elms stayed within reach thanks to kills from Artero and first year Joe Culhane (Agawam, Mass.), tying the set at 10–10. Lasell responded with another scoring run fueled by aggressive serving and efficient attacking, building a cushion that the Blazers struggled to overcome. Despite another Uschmann kill and a late point from Bellafronte, Lasell maintained control down the stretch to secure the second set.

Facing elimination, Elms delivered a resilient performance in the third set. The Blazers opened strong with a Jones kill and a service ace from Uschmann to take an early 2–0 lead. After the Lasers briefly tied the set, Elms responded with strong front-row defense as Artero and Uschmann combined for a block to retake the lead. Bellafronte later added a kill and followed it with a service run that included two aces, pushing the Blazers ahead 20–16 and forcing Lasell to regroup. The Lasers mounted a comeback late, eventually tying the set at 24–24 and forcing extra points. In the extended rally period, both teams traded kills as Uschmann and Jones continued to deliver under pressure. Jones recorded back-to-back clutch kills to push Elms ahead, and Bellafronte ultimately sealed the marathon set with a service ace, giving the Blazers a dramatic 30–28 win to extend the match.

Elms carried its energy into the fourth set, opening with a block from Culhane and Jones before Bellafronte followed with another kill to give the Blazers an early advantage. The teams exchanged points through the early portion of the frame, with Artero and Uschmann each recording kills to keep the score tied at 6–6. Lasell then capitalized on a stretch of offensive miscues from Elms, stringing together several points to build a multi-point lead. Culhane responded with a kill from Dzhenzherukha to cut into the deficit, and Jones added another late point to keep the Blazers within reach. Despite the effort, Lasell maintained its rhythm offensively and used a late service ace to extend the lead before closing the match at 25–18. The Lasers would take home the win 3-1.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Dzhenzherukha: 15 assists, three blocks, and two kills.

• Uschmann: 14 kills, five block assists, and a service ace.

• Bousquet: 14 digs and two assists.

• Ladouceur: 13 assists and a dig.

• Jones: eight kills, four blocks, two digs, and an assist.

• Artero: eight blocks, three kills, and a dig.

• Culhane: seven digs, four kills, a block assist, and an assist.

• Bellafronte: six digs, five kills, four service aces, and an assist.

• Lozado: two service aces and a dig.

UP NEXT: The Elms Men's Volleyball team will host No. 15 Wentworth Institute of Technology for a conference match on Saturday, March 21st at 12 pm at Picknelly Arena.

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