Blazers Take Down #7 Cardinals in Five Set Thriller
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
St. John Fisher (13-4) | 19 | 25 | 20 | 25 | 14 | 2 |
|
Elms (10-8) | 25 | 23 | 25 | 17 | 16 | 3 |
Chicopee, MA – The Elms College men's volleyball team defeated #7 St. John Fisher in a five set thriller with set scores of (25-19, 23-25, 25-20, 17-25, 16-14) at Picknelly Arena Wednesday evening. The Blazers improve to 10-8 on the season.
Elms got off to a strong start taking the opening set. The Blazers controlled the action and lead most of the way, with the score 12-9 Diego Hernandez (San Juan, P.R.) stepped up and delivered a kill that powered the home side to a 1-0 advantage.
The visitors would look to square things up in the second set. The Cardinals had the lead until Elms went up 17-16. Fisher was able to end the frame on a 5-2 run to win the set and make it 1-1.
Elms' strong play down the stretch in the third stanza proved to be the difference. A big kill from Jeremy Torres (Juncos, P.R.) gave the Blazers a four point lead, and propelled them to a 2-1 lead.
The Cardinals responded by getting off to a 5-2 lead to start the fourth and never looked back. The visitors pushed the match to a fifth and deciding set.
The Cardinals dominated the start of the fifth set and jumped out to a 6-1 lead. The Blazers would not go down, and battled all the way back to tie the set at 11-11 after a Torres kill. The visitors took back control of the set and by scoring three consecutive points taking the lead 14-11, and one point away from the win. Elms would not be denied, the Blazers found their way back into the set taking advantage of two attack errors and pulled ahead 15-14. The home side finished of the #7 Cardinals with another Torres kill to seal the match victory.
Torres, Hernandez, and Carlos Mercado (Barranquitas, P.R.) led the way, each registering a double-double, with 42 kills, 43 digs, and 51 assists combined. Antonio Delgado (Aibonito, P.R.) picked up 20 digs in the win.
The Elms is back on the court Saturday 3/7 for a tri-match with Lesley University and #1 Springfield College. The Blazers will take on the Linx at 5PM, then the #1 Pride at 7PM.
