Blazers Tally 2 Wins in 2022 Season Opener

New York, NY – The Elms College men's volleyball team picked up a pair of wins on the road today against host John Jay College of Criminal Justice (3-0) and Eastern Nazarene College (3-2). 

THE BASICS:

SCORE: Elms 3 | John Jay 0 (25-15, 25-11, 25-9)

Elms 3 | Eastern Nazarene 2 (24-26, 25-23, 24-26, 25-19, 16-14)

RECORDS: Elms (2-0, 0-0 GNAC), John Jay (0-2, 0-0 CUNYAC), Eastern Nazarene (1-3, 0-0 NECC) 

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Elms vs. John Jay

Elms came out strong in the first set- opening with a 7-0 lead from the service line from Luis Martinez (Bayamon, P.R.). A block from Martinez and Pedro De Jesus (East Hartford, CT) sealed the first set 25-15 and gave the Blazers a 1-0 lead in the match. The second set remained close until a kill by Carlos Mercado (Barranquitas, P.R) gave the Blazers a 9-6 advantage. An 8-0 service run from Collin Liedke (Newington, CT) saw the Blazers up 17-6 before another kill from Mercado closed out the set 25-11. The Blazers went up 2-0. A Mercado service run put the Blazers up 14-6 before a second service run from De Jesus pushed the lead to 21-7. A Bloodhound service error gave Elms the third set 25-9 and the Blazers won the match 3-0. 

Elms vs. Eastern Nazarene

The Blazers fell in the a tight first set 24-26 giving the Lions a 1-0 lead in the match. Elms bounced back in the second set with a 25-23 victory to make tie the match 1-1. Another close battle saw the Blazers fall in the third set 24-26 and going down 1-2 in the match. Elms would not go quietly however, and they pushed the match to 5 after a deciding 25-19 fourth set. Despite an early lead, the Blazers went on a 7-1 run to close out the 5th set in a nail-biting 16-14 win. The Blazers won the match 3-2. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

Elms vs. John Jay

Mercado led all players with 12 kills and 12 digs while also adding 2 aces, and 4 assists. 

Martinez led all players with 3 aces and 5 blocks as well as 5 kills, 7 assists, and 7 digs. 

The Blazers hit a match-high .312 in the third set and .271 for the match. 

Elms vs. Eastern Nazarene

Mercado led the Blazers with 27 kills and 2 service aces. 

Antonio Delgado Rolon led all players with 15 digs. 

Mercado and Moose Perry held the Blazer defense at the net with 6 blocks. 

The Blazers hit .238 for the match. 

UP NEXT:

The Blazers host their home and GNAC opener vs. Rivier on January 27th at 7:30pm. 

STAY CONNECTED:

- For the latest on Elms College Athletics, follow the Blazers via social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.