CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Securing its fourth straight berth in the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) playoffs, the Southern Vermont College men's volleyball team defeated Lesley University 3-0 Monday night at Buckingham Browne & Nichols.
The Mountaineers swept the match and the season series with game scores of 25-17, 25-14, and 25-11.
Southern Vt. now sits at third in the NECC with a 7-4 mark against the league, 11-9 overall. The Lynx drop to 0-18 on the year and 0-11 in the conference.
SVC junior Anthony Contreras (Norwalk, Calif.) registered a match-high 12 kills while swinging .333 from the floor. Fellow junior Scott Fitzgerald (Fort Edward, N.Y.) knocked down nine kills while Joey Dighton (Riverside, Calif.) and Anthony Barahona (Eagle Rock, Calif.) each finished with six. Dighton hit a robust .417 from the floor while Barahona added a team-best nine digs to his line. Senior setter Anthony Ayala (Pico Rivera, Calif.) led all players as he dished out 32 assists.
Lesley University freshman Jacob DiDomenico (North Providence, R.I.) led the Lynx with five kills and a match-high 3.5 blocks while adding three digs. Morales added four kills and four digs on the night while Shah and sophomore C.J. Sutton (Billerica, Mass.) led the team with seven digs apiece.
The teams played a tight first set that saw seven ties and five lead changes. With the score tied at 10-10, the Lynx went on a 3-0 run capped by a DiDomenico kill to take a 13-10 edge, but the Mountaineers answered back with an 11-1 run to take control of the set 21-14. The hosts would score three of the next four points, but it was too little too late as SVC grabbed three straight to close out the set 25-17. Contreras led the offense in the opening set, knocking down seven of his 12 kills on the night.
Trailing 10-4 to start the second game, the Lynx used a 5-2 spurt to pull within three at 12-9. Once again, SVC gained separation by using an 8-2 run to extend the lead to 20-11 before ending the set with a 25-14 score. Contreras and Barahona each finished with three kills in the set, and Fitzgerald added two as the Mountaineers swung .269 in the frame.
SVC carried the momentum into the third and final set as the visitors jumped out to a 13-5 lead before rolling to the playoffs with the 25-11 third game victory. Fitzgerald and Dighton led the Mountaineer offense with six and five kills, respectively, in the clincher. Barahona, Contreras, and juniors James Barker (Southborough, Mass.), and Keven Walley (Pico Rivera, Calif.) each added two in the set. SVC, who hit a collective .267 on the night, finished the third swinging a scorching .361 from the floor.
The Mountaineers conclude the NECC schedule with Senior Night on Wednesday when they host Elms College for a 7 p.m. contest. Lesley finishes its season Wednesday at Daniel Webster College in a 7 p.m. tilt.