Men's Volleyball Reverse Sweeps Wheaton on the Road

NORTON, Mass. - The Elms College Men's Volleyball team traveled to Wheaton College for a non-conference match on Tuesday evening.

BASICS
Score: Elms College 3 (18, 25, 25, 26) | Wheaton College 1 (25, 23, 19, 24)
Records: Blazers 13-5, 1-0 (GNAC) | Lyons 7-10, 0-0 (NCAA Div.III-Independent)

HOW IT HAPPENED

The first set would begin with the two intrastate foes battling early for the lead, with Elms capitalizing on kills from junior Nick Uschmann (Agawam, Mass.)and first year Juan Jones (Springfield, Mass.), but Wheaton would nudge their way for the first major lead of the set. As the set would continue, the Blazers would see additional kills by senior Rafa Artero (Madrid, Spain), Jones, sophomore Yazhua Marin Valentin (Springfield, Mass.), and Uschmann, along with a Jones-block. Unfortunately, the Lyons would win the first set 25-18.

The second set would see Elms earn the early advantage, with assistance from three kills from first year Joe Culhane (Agawam, Mass.) and junior John Bellafronte (Enfield, Conn.), along with a block by Jones and Uschmann. As the set would continue, the two non-conference foes would continue to battle, with the Blazers adding seven kills from Bellafronte, Uschmann, and Artero, along with a service ace from first year John Centeno Pagan (Manatí, P.R.). As the second set neared its end, Wheaton would look to steal the set away with four-point rally to cut the lead down to single digits, but Elms would control the set with a kill by Uschmann and a block by first year David Dzhenzherukha (Agawam, Mass.) and Jones to win the set 25-23, and to tie the match a set each.

The third set would see the Blazers take another early lead, with Uschmann recording a block, followed by a kill from Artero. The Lyons would tie the set 5-5, but Elms would continue to keep the set in their favor, with Jones recording two kills, followed by kills from Culhane, Uschmann, and Bellafronte, along with a Artero-Uschmann-block. As the second set would continue, Elms would continue to add to their lead with Jones, Culhane, and Bellafronte recording a combined five kills, along with a block by Bellafronte and Jones, to win their second-straight set, 25-19.

The fourth and final set would start with an early battle between the two non-conference foes for the lead, with sophomore Hunter Ladouceur (Wilbraham, Mass.) recording the first kill, followed by four additional kills from Artero and Uschmann, and a block from Bellafronte and Jones. As the set would continue, the two teams would continue to go back and forth, with Culhane and Uschmann each adding a pair of kills, followed by a Bellafronte-kill. Then, as the set neared its end, Artero would make a big block, Uschmann and Bellafronte would each make a kill, but the Lyons would extend the set until the Elms defense would capitalize on errors made by their opposition, to win the set, 26-24, and the match three sets to one.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Ladouceur - 23 assists, four digs, and a kill.

• Bousquet - 17 digs and two assists.

• Uschmann - 15 kills, six digs, and four blocks.

• Dzhenzherukha - 13 assists and a block assist.

• Bellafronte - eight kills, eight digs, and two block assists.

• Jones - seven blocks, seven kills, two digs, and an assist.

• Culhane - eight digs and seven kills.

• Artero - six digs, four kills, two blocks.

• Marin Valentin - a kill.

• Centeno Pagan - a service ace.

• Sánchez - a dig.

UP NEXT: The Elms Men's Volleyball team will travel to Springfield, Mass. for a non-conference tri-match on Saturday, March 7th at Springfield College against Hunter College and the Pride at 3:15 and 5:30 pm.

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