CHICOPEE, Mass. – Lesley University's late comeback attempt fell short tonight as the Lynx drop a 3-2 (25-12, 25-18, 20-25, 21-25, 15-10) decision to host Elms College in New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) action tonight at Picknelly Arena. Lesley dropped the first two sets before coming back to tie the match at 2-2 with victories in the third and fourth before the Blazers grabbed a 15-10 decision in the fifth to secure the win.

The Blazers were paced offensively by a team-high 15 kills on 19 attempts with six digs and a match-high six blocks. Freshman opposite Blake Fry (Natick, Mass.) registered his first career double-double with 13 kills and 17 digs. Senior setter Kevin Welsh (Wilbraham, Mass.) dished out 33 assists with 11 digs and five kills, while freshman opposite Kahlil Peters (Hartford, Conn.) had 10 assists, 10 digs, and five kills. Junior defensive specialist Roger Conklin (Chicopee, Mass.) had 12 digs, and sophomore libero Austin DeCosmo (Southwick, Mass.) snared a game-high 22 digs in the win.

The Lynx had three players amass double digit kill totals, led by 16 kills from sophomore outside hitter Tyler Burns (Newtown, Pa.). Burns added 16 sigs with a match-high five service aces. Junior outside hitter Jess Cherry (Lancaster, Pa.) had a double-double with a career-high 15 kills and 14 digs, while junior outside hitter Chris Barletta (Valrico, Fla.) tallied personal-best 10 kills, six digs and three aces. Sophomore setter Mitchel Ulacco (Winchester, Mass.) recorded a match-high 43 assists for the Lynx.

After dropping the first two sets, the Lynx used a 6-2 streak to start the third and never looked back as they captured the set 25-20. Lesley continued their momentum to take a tightly-played fourth set. The Lynx trailed 18-17 late in the fourth, but a slam by Burns sparked an 8-3 run to end the set with a 25-21 win.

The Lynx jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the fifth and deciding set but the Blazers took control with a 9-2 run coming out of a timeout as the hosts rolled to the 15-10 win to earn the victory.

With the win, the Blazers improve to 4-17 on the season, and 1-7 in NECC play, while the Lynx dropped to 2-14 overall, and 0-7 in league action. Elms will return to the court against Newbury at Picknelly Arena Wednesday night. Lesley travels to Endicott for a conference match Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m.

Portions of this release courtesy of Elms College Sports Information