The women’s volleyball team hosted the Southern Maine Huskies Tuesday night and continued their dominance at the Athletic Center, winning the match in a 3-0 sweep by scores of 25-21, 25-19, and 25-16.
Medini rises up for the slam.
Photo by Joe Giacco
The Huskies battled early in the first set, keeping it close until the Lasers got their biggest lead of the set, resulting in a Southern Maine timeout. Coming out of the break, the Lasers' defense stood tall, highlighted by back-to-back blocks by junior middle blocker Juliana Medini. The Huskies battled until the end of the set but were ultimately outlasted by the hustle of the Lasers.
The home team picked up right where they left off in the second set with a dominant defense, as Medini sent another ball straight down to the hardwood for the first point of the set. Following the trend of the first set, the Huskies battled early in the second set, calling a timeout with hopes of stopping the momentum after another Laser kill made it 13-8. This was followed by two incredible one-handed saves by sophomore setter Sydney Katz, which ended with the Lasers stretching their lead to 17-10, their largest of the set. The Huskies responded with a 4-0 run of their own, but the scoring spurt was short-lived however, as Katz answered with a devastating kill, propelling the Lasers to a second set W.
In a postgame interview, Katz strayed away from discussing her own success and instead chose to highlight the performance of her teammate, junior outside hitter Emily VanHouten.
“Emily was really aggressive, running around the floor and getting every single ball,” said Katz. “We are scrappy. We do not give up on the ball. That is what makes our team work.”
The early stages of the third set started off no different than the others, with both teams playing fast and energetic volleyball. With the score tight at 7-6 in favor of the Lasers, sophomore libero Maddie Caro served an ace which captured all the momentum for Coach Vautrin’s squad. The defining play of the set, however, occurred when the Lasers then found themselves in an electric rally featuring a fantastic dig by Caro, another one-handed play by Katz, and a booming kill by VanHouten. Freshman outside hitter Isabelle Borowinski, who contributed big minutes for the majority of the game, ended the final set with an ace.
Borowinski, who was also interviewed after the game, credited the leadership of Katz and junior outside hitter, Tori Scambray, as a reason for her confidence and strong play.
“They keep me in check when I feel nervous,” said Borowinski. “I love all the girls and they make playing and doing my job so enjoyable.”
The first-year added that going down the line, all that matters to her is dominating the GNAC.
“I just want to win.”
The fifth straight win moves the Lasers to 7-1 on the season, as they look to continue their winning ways at 6 pm on Thursday against Saint Joseph's Maine.
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