Men’s Volleyball Stuns MIT in Five Sets, Blanked by No. 14 Lasell

QUINCY, Mass.- In the first home matches of the 2023 campaign, the Eastern Nazarene College men's volleyball team rallied past MIT in a five-set thriller before falling to nationally-ranked Lasell 3-0 Saturday afternoon at the Lahue Athletic Center. Both opponents appeared in the latest AVCA National Poll with Lasell ranked No. 14 and MIT receiving votes just outside of the top 15.

ENC VS. MIT
THE BASICS:
Score: Eastern Nazarene 3, MIT 2
Records: Lions 2-2 | Engineers 1-1

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• MIT cruised to a 25-12 win in the opening set to establish a 1-0 lead in the match.
• The Engineers captured the second set 25-16 to double their advantage to 2-0.
• The Lions prevailed 25-22 in the third frame to cut the deficit to 2-1.
• Eastern Nazarene pulled even at 2-2 with a hard-fought 27-25 victory in the fourth set.
• The home side triumphed 16-14 in the decisive fifth set to secure its first-ever win over MIT.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Delfy Soler (Lawrence, Mass.) posted 12 kills and 10 digs in the match.
• Alejandro Garcia Fernandez (San Juan, P.R.) notched 12 kills and dealt four service aces.
• Nathan Jacques (Casselberry, Fla.) finished with 30 assists, eight digs, and three aces.
• Jacob Zarges (Quincy, Mass.) chipped in with eight kills while Chris Jaskiewicz (Oakdale, Conn.) registered five total blocks, including the match-clinching block.

ENC VS. NO. 14 LASELL
THE BASICS:
Score: Eastern Nazarene 0, Lasell 3
Records: Lions 2-3 | Lasers 1-1

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Lasell captured the first set 25-17 to grab a 1-0 edge in the match.
• The visitors widened the margin to 2-0 with a 25-16 decision in the second frame.
• The Lasers locked up their first win of the season with a narrow 27-25 victory in the third.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Alejandro Garcia Fernandez (San Juan, P.R.) tallied eight kills and three digs.
• Jacob Zarges (Quincy, Mass.) posted seven kills while Delfy Soler (Lawrence, Mass.) added five kills.
• Christopher Gil (Lawrence, Mass.) recorded a team-high nine assists while Nathan Jacques (Casselberry, Fla.) chipped in with eight assists and Aaron Huang (Quincy, Mass.) finished with seven assists.
• Fernando Paredes (Passaic, N.J.) collected a team-best six digs in the match and Brandon Brown (Oxford, Pa.) notched four digs.

LOOKING AHEAD:

Eastern Nazarene will host American International and Emerson January 28.