Men's Volleyball Jumps By Johnson & Wales
MEN'S VOLLEYBALL JUMPS BY JOHNSON & WALES, 3-0
CHICOPEE, MA, March 31, 2009 - Elms College sophomore outside hitter Carlos DeLeon Gomez (Carolina, Puerto Rico) and freshman outside hitter Sequiel Sanchez Velez (San Sebastian Puerto Rico) hammered down nine kills apiece as the Blazers won their fourth straight win a 3-0 (30-18, 30-17, 30-17) victory over Johnson & Wales in Tuesday night's non-conference men's volleyball regular season finale for both teams at the Maguire Center.
Elms College (19-12) won for the 10th time in its last 11 matches and tied the school-record with its 19th win of the year.
The Blazers, who earned the 14th-seed in the upcoming North East Collegiate Volleyball Association (NECVA) Championship, will face third-seeded Ramapo (23-6) in the first round of the 16-team tournament on Friday, April 3 at 4:00 p.m.
Johnson & Wales lost its fifth straight to conclude the 2009 season 7-17 overall.
DeLeon-Gomez was unstoppable for the Blazers, as he blasted down nine kills on nine swings, while Sanchez Velez, this week's New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Player of the Week, hit .500 and added a match-high seven digs.
Elms College hit .476 in the first set, .438 in the second and .381 in the third to finish with a sizzling .432 attack percentage.
Junior setter Ivan Andujar (Carolina, Puerto
Rico) handed out 14 assists and also had a match-high
eight aces for the Blazers, who had a combined 16 aces in the
match.
Freshman setter Jesus Echevarria (San Juan, Puerto Rico) registered a match-high 22 assists and freshman middle hitter Vincent Cruz (Harwinton, CT) added seven kills and a pair of blocks in the victory.
Senior outside hitter Sean Lauro (West Roxbury, MA) scored 10 kills as the only player to reach double figures for the Wildcats in the loss.