Postseason Preview: Men’s Volleyball Heads to No. 19 Lasell for GNAC Semifinals Rematch

NEWTON, Mass. – After cruising to a 3-0 victory over Emerson in Tuesday night's Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Quarterfinals matchup, the third-seeded Rivier men's volleyball team heads to the No. 2 seed and the nation's 19th-ranked squad, Lasell, for a semifinal round clash at the Lasell Athletic Center on Thursday, April 11 at 7:00 p.m.

The Raiders hit at a .412 clip as Neil Rea posted 40 assists in a sweep of the No. 6 Lions on Tuesday night improving their record to 18-13 to return to the semifinals for the third straight season. Thursday night's clash in Newton will be the third consecutive GNAC Semifinals matchup between the Raiders and the Lasers, with Lasell prevailing on home court in both previous tries.

Rivier and Lasell split the 2024 season series with the Raiders winning in four sets in a neutral site clash in Boston on March 23 before the Lasers returned the favor a week later in Franklin, Mass.

The Raiders will look for contributions from Rea, Peter White, Matthew McCloskey, Ryan Peace, Ethan Soltis, Chris Lezon, Racine Camara, Sokunbuth Ly, and Isaac Borges yet again as they look to secure a trip back to the title match for the first time since 2019 when the team swept Wentworth to earn its ninth GNAC trophy.

Lasell finished the regular-season with a 17-11 overall record while going 12-2 in conference matchups to earn the second seed and a bye to the second round. The Lasers entered the season in the AVCA/NVA Division III Coaches Poll, spending the first two weeks of the year in the top 20 before an 0-3 weekend against ranked opponents at the Saint John Fisher Tournament knocked them out for a stint. On Feb. 20, Lasell reentered the rankings after nabbing a three-set victory over No. 6 Vassar. Later in the year, while receiving votes, the Lasers handed No. 1 Wentworth its first and only loss of the campaign, shaking up the national rankings yet again. The five-set thrilling win on home court jumpstarted a six-match winning streak and allowed the Lasers to stay ranked into the conference postseason.

Lasell has been lifted by several contributors this season on both offense and defense. Graduate setter Jesus Garcia enters averaging 8.80 assists per set and eclipsed the 3,000-career assist mark earlier this season. Junior Theo Zaharewicz is averaging 3.01 kills per set from the outside at a .290 hitting percentage. Senior middle Jan Baranowski has registered 1.88 kills per set at a .402 clip thus far, adding on 14 solo blocks and 45 block assists.

The winner will face off in the conference championship match against the winner of No. 1 Wentworth and No. 4 Emmanuel on Saturday, April 13.