Men's Volleyball Lose a Tough Conference Matchup to Emmanuel

CHICOPEE, MA - The Elms College Men's Volleyball team traveled to Boston, MA to take on Emmanuel College in a conference match Wednesday evening.

BASICS
Score: Elms College 0 (21, 14, 17) | Emmanuel College 3 (25, 25, 25)
Records: Blazers 3-15, 0-6 (GNAC) | Saints 9-6, 4-2 (GNAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
The opening set began with Elms with an early 6-2 lead with the help of two kills from first-years Nick Uschmann (Agawam, MA) and Al Sánchez (Guayama, PR) and a handful of errors from Emmanuel. The Saints would try to take the lead, but the Blazers would extend their lead with assistance from a service ace by Uschmann, and kills by first-year John Bellafronte (Enfield, CT) and graduate student Pedro De Jesus (East Hartford, CT). Emmanuel would then take advantage of errors committed by Elms to take the lead in the set. A couple of kills by De Jesus and a handful of errors committed by the Saints would keep the Blazers in the set, but Emmanuel would win the set 21-25.

The second set would begin with the Saints taking an early 5-8 lead, with kills from De Jesus and Bellafronte. The Blazers would then bring the set to a one-point difference with the help of kills from De Jesus and Uschmann, but Emmanuel would see three service aces to extend their lead. The remainder of the set would see kills from sophomore Rafa Artero (Madrid, Spain) and Bellafronte, but the Saints would secure the middle set 14-25.

The third and final set of the opening match would begin with an early standoff between the two conference foes with a score of 4-5 in favor of Emmanuel. A service ace from graduate student Collin Liedke (Newington, CT) and kills by De Jesus and Bellafronte would help the Blazers maintain the one-point differential, but the Saints would find a jolt of offensive life to extend their lead 12-19. Elms would continue their efforts to narrow the lead, with kills from De Jesus and Sánchez, but Emmanuel would go on to defeat Elms, securing the sweep with a final score of 17-25 for a Saints victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• De Jesus: ten kills and four digs.

• Uschmann: four kills, three digs, one service ace, and a block assist.

• Bellafronte: four kills and two digs.

• Leidke: 20 assists, and four digs.

• Artero: one kill, one dig, and a block assist.

UP NEXT: The Elms Men's Volleyball team will travel to Dudley, MA in a non-conference tri-match against Bard and Nichols Colleges at the Nichols Athletic Center on Saturday, March 16th at 2 and 4PM.

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