The Lasers earned their 10th straight win early Saturday afternoon, sweeping the Anna Maria Amcats 3-0, and setting the longest win streak in the program's history, a record that had stood for nearly 18 years.
Head Coach Jeff Vautrin sent out a different lineup than he typically would starting the first set, as the Lasers would look to conserve energy with another game looming at 3 p.m. This adjusted lineup did not seem to affect the Lasers' dominance however, as they came out of the gates ready for the first set, going on an early 7-2 run.
The Amcats battled throughout the set, getting within five points, but ultimately had their momentum shut down, as the Lasers regained possession of the ball thanks to a service error. Once the Lasers saw their opportunity to close all windows and doors on the Amcats’ offense, they would not look back, winning the set 25-16.
The second set started with an Amcat kill, which set the tone for their offense early as they stayed neck and neck with the Lasers. Unfortunately for the visitors, junior outside hitter Tori Scambray sparked a 5-0 Lasers run, recording four kills in that span, and forcing an Amcat timeout.
Coming out of the break, the Lasers capped off their run with a slam from junior middle blocker Madalyn Scully, while first-year outside hitter Isabelle Borowinski recorded an ace. Also contributing to the mass of success was first-year middle blocker Rylee Sherman who had two straight aces, as the Lasers once again beat the Amcats 25-16.
During the third set, the Lasers’ offense stayed unstoppable. Borowinski had multiple kills and Mckenna McCool helped drive the dagger into the heart of the Amcats. It was not long before the Lasers eased their way to a 25-12 set victory over their opponent.
Despite the record-setting win by Vautrin's squad, the longtime player and coach had his eyes set on something bigger.
“I’ve only been thinking about the conference finals all season,” said Vautrin. “Our sights are set on the GNAC Championship.”
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