CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Lesley University men's volleyball team fell to non-conference Dean College in four sets, 3-1, Monday evening. Senior outside hitter Jason Hulteen (Galena, Ohio) posted a season-best 26 kills on 56 attempts with 12 errors for a .250 attack percentage in the loss.
With the victory, the Bulldogs claim their first win of the season improving to 1-3 while the Lynx drop to 0-5 on the season. Lesley returns to the hard-court Thursday evening, February 9th, when they host non-conference Pine Manor College for an 8:00 p.m. tilt. Dean will also be in action Thursday night when they host Emerson College at 7:00 p.m. in Franklin, Mass.
Lesley won their first set of the 2017 season with a 25-19 win in game one to take the 1-0 match advantage. Hitting a solid .333, Hulteen lead the way nothing seven kills on 12 attempts with just three miscues while junior setter Karuna Chiemruom (Cranston, R.I.) paced the offense tallying seven assists.
Momentum remained on the Lynx side as they opened the second set with a 5-0 run which included three service aces from Chiemruom. However, Bulldog senior middle blocker Moussa Seck (Cambridge, Mass.) ignited a 7-1 run with a euphoric solo block to give Dean their first lead of the set, 7-6.
It did not last for very long as the two teams exchanged the lead three times before the Lynx went on a mini 3-0 run to take the 19-17 lead and force the Bulldogs to call their second timeout. Coming out of the timeout, the Bulldogs were rejuvenated, swinging momentum over to their bench utilizing a 7-2 run to take a commanding 24-19 lead. The Lynx clawed their way back but the Bulldogs hung on to take the second set, 25-23.
With the match all square at 1-1, the two teams battled it out in the third set. Hulteen led the way for the Lynx notching six kills on 15 attempts with a solo block but the Bulldogs were equally as dominant at the net. Although they only recorded two kills in the third set, it was the Bulldog defense that helped them edge out the Lynx, 27-25. As a team, Dean recorded five total blocks – four assisted and one solo – in game three.
They did not let up in the fourth set. Hitting a remarkable .381 as a team, the Bulldogs recorded 11 kills on 21 attempts with just three errors. Seck and junior middle blocker Dean Bennett (Bloomfield, N.J.) combined to hit .385 with eight kills on 13 attempts and just three miscues en route to the 25-16 win.
Seck led the Bulldogs with a team-high 10 kills while being a force at net registering five total blocks – three assisted and two solo. Sophomore outside hitter Justin Frietas (North Attleboro, Mass.) followed up with seven kills while Bennett was right behind him recording six kills on the night.
Chiemruom paced the Lynx offense with 26 assists while junior outside hitter Nuno Pereira (Sao Filipe, Cape Verde) led the way with 12 defensive digs to go along with four kills in his first start.