THE BASICS

Score: Lasell 3, Emerson 1

Records: Emerson Lions (5-2, 0-1 GNAC); Lasell Lasers (4-6, 1-1 GNAC),

Location: Boston, Mass. (Brown & Plofker Gym)

The Lead: Mark Piorkowski (Montclair, N.J.) recorded 17 kills and Josh Elliot recorded 22 assists in the loss against the Lasell Lasers on Thursday night.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Mark Piorkowski paced all players with 17 kills. He added 12 digs, two service aces and ones block.
• Josh Elliot (Swedesboro, N.J.) assisted on 22 of Emerson's 35 kills with Lucas Raagas (Cambridge, Mass.) assisting on 11.
• Samuel Willinger (Golden Beach, Fla.) added eight kills for the Lions.
• Lasell was led by Janci Soto who totaled 11 kills, two digs, and four blocks.
• Nate Gallo led the Lasers with 20 assists and Andy Henriquez was just behind him with 19.
• Jordan Aprea had 31 digs for the Lasers on the defensive side of the net.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Emerson jumped out to an early lead in the first set, taking eight of the first nine points for an 8-1 lead.
• Lasell went on a 5-1 run of their own, cutting the lead to three at 9-6 on a Soto kill.
• After trading points, Emerson went on a 5-0 run after Jonah Higaonna (Okinawa, Japan) took the serve.  Emerson doubled up the Lasers with an 18-9 lead.
• Lasell made a small run to close out the first set, but the Lions held strong winning the first set by five at 25-20 on a Higaonna kill.
• Lasell took a commanding lead in the second set, leading by nine points at 20-11.
• The Lions fought back, cutting the lead to four at 22-18.
• Emerson was unable to overcome the deficit completely, falling in the second set 25-22, knotting the match up at one a piece.
• The third set saw Emerson and Lasell trading points back and forth, with the two teams splitting the first 28 points 14-14.
• Lasell went on a 7-1 run from here, opening up a 21-15 lead.
• The Lasers closed out the set 25-19 on an Aaron Waitekus kill. 
• Lasell took their momentum into the fourth set, controlling from start to finish.  
• Gallo killed off the match with a kill with the score 25-13, giving Lasell the victory at 3-1.

UP NEXT

• Emerson welcomes the Newbury Nighthawks to Brown & Plofker Gym at 4:00pm on Saturday, February 16th.
• Lasell will play the same opponent, but has a week off and will take them on next Friday, February 22nd at 7:00pm.

STAY LIVE WITH THE LIONS 

• Stay updated on all things Emerson men's volleyball and follow the Lions on Twitter, Facebook at Emerson College Men's Volleyball, as well as on Instagram. Also be sure to tune into Emerson Channel Sports to catch the Lions in action and follow Emerson Athletics on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.