FRANKLIN, Mass. – The Dean College men's volleyball team was defeated in their Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opening match by No. 10 Lasell University on Tuesday night by a final score of 3-0. With the loss, the Bulldogs drop to 5-10 (0-1 GNAC), while the Lasers improve to 13-4 (3-0 GNAC).

How it Happened:
-Lasell opened the match with a quick 7-2 run on offense. Remy Cahalon and Cole Esterline recorded kills at the front of the net. However, it was Dean errors that ultimately gave Lasell their early boost.
-Senior captain Arthur Felicio (Saugus, Brazil) helped mitigate the damage with a strong kill. He kicked off the offense for Dean, setting up a later kill from Noah Allan (Windham, N.H.).
-First-year hitters Travis Johnson (Taunton, Mass.) and Brandon Mimande (East Providence, R.I.) also found the box score in the latter half of the set. Johnson finished the set with a trio of kills, while Mimande recorded two.
-Dean kept the Lasell lead to five throughout much of the first set, but the Lasers ultimately took the win. Lasell pulled away in the final points to win the opening set by a final score of 25-17.
-The Bulldogs entered the second set with a full head of confidence. Johnson scored three additional kills to help Dean kickstart a 6-3 advantage.
-However, the ranked Lasers quickly found their footing and rallied back. Cahalon scored a kill and quick service ace. Max Bautista also scored a kill, eventually taking a 7-6 lead in the set.
-Lasell slightly extended their lead to 13-9 with kills by Peton Buckwalker and Noah Thetford. However, Johnson and Felicio kept the offense pumping for Dean. Their efforts at the line helped Dean keep the scoring margin within five.
-Dean also scored six of the next eight points, bringing them within one point of tying the set. Errors continued to be the issue for the Lasers. They recorded seven in the middle set, eventually becoming their highest in the match.
-Despite another kill from Allan, the Bulldogs came just short in set two. Lasell took a 2-0 match lead after winning the middle hash by a score of 25-21. However, Dean held their heads up high. This was the second-smallest scoring margin they have had with Lasell since joining the GNAC.
-Similar to set two, the Bulldogs matched pace with the ranked Lasers. Dean continued to take advantage of Lasell's mistakes, scoring nearly half a dozen points on errors.
-The Lasers made up for their errors with kills at the net. With efforts from Mitko and Esterline, Lasell tied the match at 13.
-Allan and Antonio Varela (East Providence, R.I.) continued to propel Dean offense. Varela smacked another kill over the center of the net to tie the set 19-19.
-However, the Lasers finished the match here. They went on a 6-1 run through the final points to take the set 25-20 and the match 3-0
 
Standouts:
-Johnson (10 Kills, 23 Total Attempts, Solo Block, Assisted Block, 3 DIGs)
-Felicio (5 Kills, 14 Total Attempts, Service Ace, 3 DIGs)
-Hunter Armitage (Westerly, R.I.) (21 Assists, 7 DIGs)
 
Next Up:
-Thursday, March 12^th, 6:00PM vs. Emmanuel College (Mass.) (GNAC Contest / Pieri Gymnasium)
 
For Media Inquiries:
Brett Chaves
Sports Information Director, Dean College Athletics
(508) 541-1826
BChaves@dean.edu