SAINTS ADVANCE TO GNAC SEMIS WITH 3-0 WIN OVER LASELL

BOSTON, Mass. – Led by a balanced offensive attack that saw four players record eight kills apiece, No. 1 Emmanuel College powered past No. 8 Lasell College, 3-0 (25-16, 25-10, 25-19), in the Quarterfinal round of the 2014 Great Northeast Athletic Conference women's volleyball tournament Tuesday evening in the Jean Yawkey Center gymnasium. With the victory, the Saints improve to 24-11 on the year and have won 12 of their last 14 matches. The loss ends the Lasers season with a 7-28 record.

Emmanuel dominated the action throughout, posting a combined .352 hitting percentage while holding Lasell to just a .013 clip. Senior Sarah Colby (West Barnstable, Mass.), junior Brittany Tutalo (Johnston, R.I.) and sophomores Cassie Chruscielski (Duluth, Minn.) & Kaitlyn Atkinson (Brookline, N.H.) all recorded eight kills in the win for the Saints.

Freshman outside hitter Meredith Eagan (North Andover, Mass.) posted a team-high six kills for Lasell while freshman middle hitter Odina Ellis (Providence, R.I.) chipped in with five kills for the Lasers.

In the opening set, Lasell held an early 7-6 lead before EC rattled off seven consecutive points behind the service of senior defensive specialist Christine Durkee (Salem, Conn.) to give the hosts a 13-7 lead. An Ellis kill would pull Lasell back within four at 13-9 but it was the closest they'd come as Emmanuel cruised to the 25-16 first set victory.

The squads traded points in the early goings of set two before the Saints opened things up. An ace by freshman setter Lauren Piper (Scarborough, Maine) pulled Lasell to within a point at 4-5 but the Saints collected the next six points behind a strong service game from sophomore defensive specialist Sarah Schemerhorn (Los Angeles, Calif.) to bump the hosts lead to 11-5. Emmanuel posted 14 kills on 30 swings with only one error in the frame en route to an efficient 25-10 win in set two.

Lasell controlled most of the action in set three, leading most of the set before the Saints rallied for the win. An ace by Ellis lifted the visitors to an 18-16 advantage but from that point on it was all Emmanuel. EC rolled off the next two points to even the score at 18-all, forcing the Lasers to burn a timeout. A hitting error by the Saints gave the Lasers a glimpse of hope but it was short lived as Emmanuel registered the set's final seven points, capped by an ace from senior libero Cara Callahan (Medway, Mass.) to secure the 25-19 win.

Callahan posted a team-high 12 digs while junior setter Shannon Dudley (Morro Bay, Calif.) dished out a match-high 32 helpers in the win.

The Saints advance to the GNAC Semifinals and will host No. 4 Johnson & Wales University at 7:00 PM. The Wildcats also posted a Quarterfinals win, topping No.5 University of Saint Joseph (CT), 3-0 (27-25, 25-10, 25-15) this evening. During the regular season meeting, the Saints posted a 3-2 victory on a neutral court on October 25.