South Hadley, Mass. - October 28, 2021 - The Mount Holyoke College volleyball team dropped a five-set thriller to Lasell on Thursday evening in Howard Gymnasium, as the Lyons were led by a career-best 12 kills from senior right side Gabi Davis (Keller, Texas).
The Lasers prevailed by the set scores of 21-25, 25-17, 26-24, 5-25, 15-6.
Senior outside hitter Sarah Bishop (Rutland, Mass.) posted 11 kills on 35 swings, hitting .229 for the match while also picking up 11 digs in the setback. Senior libero Chelsea Galicia (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) notched a team-best 14 digs while Marion Abeja (Kumi, Uganda) added three kills, 15 assists and 13 digs for the Lyons. Senior setter Brayden Walden (McKinney, Texas) handed out 11 assists, and added three digs and two kills as well.
Lasell was led by a match-best 18 kills behind the arm of Mckenna McCool, while Camila Lopez and Hope McFall combined for 28 digs in the victory.
Mount Holyoke College opened the game with four-consecutive points before a kill from Bishop made it 7-4, Lyons, early. After kills from Davis and Mar Simon (Miami, Fla.), Mount Holyoke possessed a 15-7 advantage before the Lasers came back to within a pair following kills from McCool and Emily VanHouten. From there, the set evened up at 20 but the Lyons would score five of the next six points to seal the 25-21 set win.
The Lasers controlled play early in the second, jumping out to a 14-7 lead following three-consecutive kills from McCool. Bishop pulled the Lyons back to within four with a kill, but Lasell's offense was clicking as the visitors sealed the 25-17 set win and pulled the match even at one game apiece.
A five-point run in the middle of the third set helped the Lyons take a 12-11 lead following back-to-back aces from McKenna Crosby (Jonesborough, Tenn.). From there, the two sides traded points until it was 22-18, Mount Holyoke following a kill from Willet Parkins (Norwich, Vt.). Trailing 23-19, Lasell ripped off seven of the next eight points to claim the set, 26-24, and take a 2-1 match lead.
It was all Mount Holyoke College in the fourth set as the Lyons prevailed 25-5 to force a fifth set. In the frame, Davis picked up five of their 12 kills including the set-clinching kill following a great set from Abeja.
The two sides traded points to begin the fifth set before the Lasers put together a 7-0 run to take a 12-4 advantage, which proved to be enough fuel for the 15-6 set victory and 3-2 match win.
Up next, Mount Holyoke College will close out the 2021 regular season on Saturday, October 30 when the Lyons host Emerson at 1 p.m.
For the latest updates on Mount Holyoke College Athletics, follow the Lyons on social media on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our Youtube Channel.
