The Mount Ida College women's volleyball team hosted their first Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) tri-match today against Suffolk University and Lasell College.  Winning both ends, the Mustangs would improve to 8-8 overall, 2-1 in conference play.  The Lasers were 1-1 on the day making their record 4-9 for the year, 2-2 in the GNAC and the Rams left 0-2, dropping to 3-7 overall, 1-4 in the conference.

Mount Ida and Suffolk would battle in match one of the day with the Mustangs taking the early 5-0 lead capped off on an error by the Rams in game one.  The visitors would crawl back to even the score at 7-7, but it would not last long, with Mount Ida scoring the next eight consecutive points making it 16-8.  The Mustangs would go on to win the first set 25-16.  Senior Blair Canan (North Reading, MA/North Reading) would charge the high powered offense of Mount Ida. 

Game two was one sided in favor of the Mustangs who jumped out to a big 12-2 advantage on 11 consecutive points finished off on a kill by junior Amanda Pereira (New Bedford, MA/New Bedford).  Six straight errors by the Rams stretched the score to 19-3 in favor of Mount Ida.  The Mustangs ended game two, taking the outright 2-0 match lead, with a 25-9 victory. 

Mount Ida would rap things up with a 25-15 game three win.  The Mustangs established the opening 10-5 lead on a serving error by the Rams.  The hosts slowly pulled away capturing the 25-15 game three win and the 3-0 match triumph.    

Mount Ida sophomore Chelsea Darnell (Dublin, OH/Dublin Scioto) led the charge with five kills and one solo block.  Pereira, Canan, and freshman Rachelle Gilbert (Corunna, IN/Dekalb) tallied four kills a piece.  Freshman setter Cody Fusco (San Francisco, CA/San Francisco Waldorf) notched 10 assists.

Match two featured Suffolk University and Lasell College.  The Lasers came out hot in game one collecting the 25-10 victory.  Lasell had a tougher time in game two, holding off the Rams, squeaking out the 25-19 win.  It appeared as if the Lasers would win handily up 9-5 early on.  But Suffolk knotted the score twice at 13-13 and 14-14, keeping the opponent in check but eventually, Lasell would pull away notching the game two victory. 

Game three was back and forth early on with the Rams leading 4-3.  But the Lasers sprung ahead holding a small margin between the squads leading 10-9.  They would ultimately pull away gaining the 25-15 win and take home the 3-0 match victory.    

Without a doubt, the match of the day was the back end of today's GNAC tri-match with Mount Ida hosting rival and neighboring school Lasell.  The Mustangs trailed early on down 8-5 while the Lasers compiled an offensive strike taking the advantage.  It would lock at 8-8 and again at 10-10, until the hosts took over the momentum and pulled ahead on six consecutive points up 17-11.  Lasell would not go quietly, catching the Mustangs on some key blocks, two by Laser freshman Eileen Barrett (Ludlow, MA/Ludlow) making it 19-18.  But Mount Ida regrouped and rode the 25-21 game one win to go up 1-0 in the match. 

It was all about the Mustangs in game two, especially Blair Canan, dominating the outside with scorching offensive attack.  It remained close in the beginning with Mount Ida leading 7-5.  The score would knot twice at 7-7 and 8-8, but that was as close as the Lasers would get while Mount Ida gained the momentum, started by Canan, on a huge kill up 11-9.  The hosts would slowly creep away, holding a small lead for the remainder of game two.  The high powered offensive assault of the Mustangs overwhelmed the competition giving them the outright 25-15 victory taking the 2-0 match lead. 

Game three was all Lasers early on leading 10-7 off a kill by freshman Kayla Binette (Biddeford, ME/Biddeford).  Unfortunately for the visitors, the Mustangs were fired up regaining the advantage off a block by Rachelle Gilbert.  Lasell would do everything they could to deflate Mount Ida, but it would only get as close at 20-19.  The Mustangs would go on to capture the win, 25-20, and the 3-0 match victory.

Canan and Pereira compiled nine kills a piece for the Mustangs while Fusco notched 16 assists.  Saito tallied 19 digs and sophomore Kira Feeter (Keene, NH/Keene) set her teammates up 14 times.  Freshman Alyssa Echevarria (Naugatuck, CT/Naugatuck) was very impressive in the middle blocking position. 

Mount Ida will travel to Eastern Nazarene College this coming Thursday for some non-conference action in Cambridge, MA starting at 7:00 p.m.