VOLLEYBALL TEAM SWEEPS GNAC OPENING TRI-MATCH

BOSTON, Mass. – Emmanuel College kicked off Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Volleyball opening weekend by rolling to a 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-23) sweep of Johnson & Wales University in the Jean Yawkey Center on Saturday afternoon.  The 3-0 win for the Saints was the first match of the day in a conference tri-match which also included Lasell College.

Emmanuel was led by freshman middle Kaitlyn Atkinson's (Brookline, N.H.) 10 kills and 3 blocks.  The rookie hit .350 with her 10 kills coming in 20 swings with just 3 errors.  Cassie Chruscielski (Duluth, Minn.) and Brittany Tutalo (Johnston, R.I.) added 5 kills apiece, while Cara Callahan (Medway, Mass.) picked up 13 digs in the win for the Saints.

JWU was paced offensively by 7 kills from Alyssa Drapeau (Biddeford, Me.).  Kaitlyn Kuntz (Boone, Iowa) and Giselle Cram (Vega Alta, Puerto Rico) combined for 18 digs in the effort for the Wildcats,

The second match of the day featured the Wildcats battling to a 3-2 win over the Lasers of Lasell College, earning their first win of the season.  Set scores were: 19-25, 25-20, 22-25, 25-15 and a heated 17-15 fifth set.

JWU was led by 15 kills from Drapeau.  Setters Kasey Higgins (Wallingford, Conn.) and Kellen Tensen (New Canaan, Conn.) combined for 41 assists in the win. 

The Lasers got 14 and 13 kills from Sharisse Scott-Rawlins (Brockton, Mass.) and Abigail Rollins (N. Caldwell, N.J.), respectively.

In the final match of the day, the Saints started off strong, pulling out to a 2-0 match lead with 25-20 and 25-18 set wins.  Lasell then rebounded, carrying momentum through sets three and four and forcing a fifth and deciding set.  The Lasers took advantage of poor serve receive by the Saints with 25-9 and 25-16 wins.  Emmanuel battled back and took the fifth set, 15-11, for a 3-2 match win.

The hosts were led by Chruscielski's solid line of 14 kills, 6 aces and 6 digs. Atkinson found the floor 12 times to finish with 22 kills on the day.  Callahan served off 5 aces to go along with her 12 digs, while Shannon Dudley (Morro Bay, Calif.) dished out 38 helpers in the win.

Lasell's stellar serving included 8 aces by Jordan Seid (Rowland Hts., Calif.), who also gathered a match-high 21 digs.  Scott-Rawlins notched a double-double with 14 kills and 15 digs.  Rollins tallied 15 kills to lead the offense, while Nahigian ran the show for the Lasers with 39 assists.

With the GNAC sweep, Emmanuel now stands at 10-8 on the season and 2-0 in league play.  Johnson & Wales moves to 1-14 overall, 1-1 GNAC with the split.  Lasell drops to 7-9 in the season and 0-2 in GNAC action.

Emmanuel will be back in action on Tuesday night, when the Saints travel to Keene, N.H. for a non-conference match with the Owls of Keene State College.