CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - In their final home game of the 2009 regular season, the Lesley University men's volleyball team lost to Daniel Webster College 3-0 (30-26, 30-24, 30-22).  The victory for the Eagles solidified their hold on third place in the New England Collegiate Conference heading into the conference playoffs.

Daniel Webster has one more match against Southern Vermont College on March 25 to finish off their regular season before the top four seeds in the conference compete for the inaugural NECC Championship crown.

Before the match, the men's volleyball team honored senior Clayton Janer (Guilford, Conn.) for his service as he becomes the first four-year player to be recognized on a Senior Night.  Janer will finish his Lesley career as the all-time leader in set assists.

In tonight's match, both teams battled back-and-forth through three sets but the Eagles were able to edge the Lynx for the straight set sweep. 

Daniel Webster's outside hitter Chris Shannon (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) tied with Lesley's Zachary Almeida-Beers (Rehoboth, Mass.) with a game-high 12 kills.  Both players also tallied four kills each.

The Eagles also received contributions from solid efforts from Steven Frick (Londonderry, N.H.) and Ian Catenzaro (Londonderry, N.H.) who spiked home six and five kills, apiece. 

In the first set, Lesley jumped out an early three point lead at 11-8 after Malcolm Andrews (Medford, Mass.) and Mike Jack (Buenos Aires, Argentina) blocked an attack attempt from Daniel Webster's Daniel Smith (Essex Junction, Vt.).  The Eagles rebounded, however, by going on a 9-2 run to regain the lead.

The Lynx would trim the Eagles' lead down to just one point at 24-23 but the visitors would hold on for the set victory. 

Lesley would keep both the second and third sets close with the help of consistent play from setter Stephen Siragusa (Valley Stream, N.Y.) who would finish the match with 22 set assists and six service aces. 

Daniel Webster's triumph ended a nine-game losing skid that was intact since their last win on February 13 against Mount Ida College.

To learn more about the Lesley University men's volleyball team, please visit their website.

Contact:          Rob Palardy
                        Sports Information Director
                        Lesley University
                        617.349.8627 (office)
                        617.349.8640 (fax)
                        rpalardy@lesley.edu