CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Daniel Webster College senior Joe Walz (E. Longmeadow, Mass.) registered a game-high 16 kills and a .652 hitting percentage to the lead the Eagles past Lesley University 3-0 (25-17, 25-9, 25-15) tonight in New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) men's volleyball action at Buckingham, Browne, and Nichols. With the win, DWC moves to an even 8-8 on the season and a perfect 5-0 in NECC action while the Lynx fall to 0-12 and 0-5.
Sophomore setter Ariel Frias (Lawrence, Mass.) dished out a match-high 31 assists to go with his five digs while classmate Ryan Howdeshell (Fairbanks, Alaska) hit an impressive .462 from the floor on his way to eight kills. Fellow sophomore Jose Vargas (Lawrence, Mass.) finished the night with seven kills and was credited with one solo block and four blocking assists. Junior Kyle Lovering (Manchester, N.H.) led the visitors with seven kills while also knocking down four kills.
Freshman Tyler Burns (Newtown, Pa.) led the Lesley attack with four kills and eight digs. Melvin Morales (Chelsea, Mass.), Herbin Berreondo (Brighton, Mass.), Mitchel Ulacco (Winchester, Mass.), and C.J. Sutton (Billerica, Mass.) all finished with two kills for the Lynx. Ulacco dished out a team-high ten assists and sophomore Marcel Howard (Newport News, Va.) showed a solid effort on the defensive end, registering eight digs.
The Eagles jumped out to a 7-1 edge early on in the first set before the Lynx chipped away to cut the lead to three, 15-12. The teams would exchange a pair of points, but DWC would end the set on a 7-3 run to take the 25-17 set win. Walz was on fire in the opening set, carrying the Eagle offense with nine kills and a .667 hitting percentage.
The teams battled back-and-forth to start the second set and the Lynx trailed by just one, 8-7, following a DWC serving error. Walz would get the visitors back on track as his kill propelled the Eagle offense on an imposing 17-2 run to close out the set. The senior added another six kills in the set while Vargas posted three of his seven in the second as the Eagles took a 2-0 match lead. DWC hit a collective .480 in the set.
The third set would start off tight, as a Berreondo kill and DWC attacking error would give the Lynx an 8-6 advantage. The Eagles would reclaim the lead with a 7-1 surge powered by two Frias aces and would run away with the set to take the 25-15 win. Vargas, Lovering, and Howdeshell each posted three kills for the Eagles in the final set of the evening. DWC nearly maintained their hitting percentage from the second set, finishing with a .474 mark in the third.
The visitors finished with a .364 hitting percentage on the night while the Lynx struggled from the floor, finishing at -.043.
The Lynx will return to the floor after spring break when they head to Regis College on March 18th. DWC will participate in the Endicott Invitational this coming weekend, starting with a 6:00p match with the Gulls on Friday.