Lakers Sweep Friday Night Doubleheader at Home

CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. - The Finger Lakes Community College men's volleyball team improved to an impressive 7-3 on the season after earning sweeps over the Union County Community College Owls and the College of DuPage Chapparals on the Putt Moore Court Friday, March 3rd.

The Lakers extended their sweep streak to 7, having shut out each opponent in all 7 of their wins thus far this season.

FLCC vs. Union County

Freshman Jonah Grbic (Victor, N.Y./ Victor) led the Lakers with an impressive 14 kills and 2 aces. The freshman outside hitter continues to impress on the hardwood, currently sitting #1 on the NJCAA leaderboards in kills and kills per set. Teammate Bryce Ceravalo (Canandaigua, N.Y./ Canandaigua) helped set up many of those attacking opportunities, contributing 30 assists and 2 points from service aces. Ceravolo's assist total on the season ranks fourth in the NJCAA. Freshman Ian Meeks (Victor, N.Y./ Victor) added 9 kills, 2 points from service aces, and 1 block to round out his night against the Owls.

Daniel Seymour (Bellmore, N.Y./ John F. Kennedy) had a solid outing, recording 6 kills and 2 points from service aces. Teammate Samuel Guardado (San Salvador, El Salvador/ Josue Christian) added 1 kill and 7 digs, and AJ DeBalso (Canandaigua, N.Y./ Canandaigua) had 2 points from service aces and 11 assists.

In set one, the Lakers jumped out to an early 6-3 lead, the Owls would rally back to narrow the gap 9-7 in favor of the Lakers, before a few costly errors by the Owls helped grow the Lakers lead to 20-11. The Owls failed to find a rhythm late in the set, with more errors leading to a 25-17 win. In set two, the Owls would get back on track, taking an early 5-4 lead. The Owls would continue to fight throughout the set, but several errors late in the set by the Owls would propel the Lakers to victory, 25-20. The Lakers would take advantage of the opportunity to sweep their first match of the doubleheader, as they would jump out to an early 8-3 lead and never look back in route to a 25-13 finish.

In their second matchup of the season, the Lakers would come out strong in the first set to set the tone for the remainder of the match, extending the season series, 2-0. The teams will rematch tomorrow, March 4th on the Putt Moore Court, with the Lakers aiming for bragging rights and the Owls looking for redemption. 

FLCC vs. College of DuPage

After only playing one set in his first match of the day, Lakers freshman Nick Ferris (Canandaigua, N.Y./ Canandaigua) came out firing in three sets played against the Chapparals. The Freshman outside hitter would make a statement with 14 kills on the night; leaning on an efficient .611 hitting percentage. Ferris' impressive mark launched him atop the leaderboards in the NJCAA, ranking 1st in hitting percentage at .444 after his strong performance.

The Canandaigua Academy grad would continue to impress on the defensive end in the Lakers most difficult match of the evening, finishing with a game-high 4 block assists against the Chapparals.

Freshman Jonah Grbic contributed to the Lakers victory with 10 kills and 2 points from service aces, while teammate Bryce Ceravolo facilitated the offense with 24 assists and 2 points from service aces.

Defensively, Samuel Guardado and teammate Ian Meeks led the Lakers with 5 and 10 digs respectively, while freshman Daniel Seymour came up big on the defensive front with a game-high 4 block assists.

Early on in the match, a few errors on the Lakers would allow the Chapparals to jump out to a 3-0 lead in set one. However, the Lakers would hold DuPage scoreless on a 4-0 run to jump ahead 4-3, a lead the Lakers would hold onto throughout the entirety of the set. With many of the attacking opportunities thwarted by a strong Chapparals defense, the Lakers defensive efforts came up big when it mattered most. Student-athletes Nick Ferris, Danny Seymour, and Bryce Ceravolo would all tie for a game-high 4 block assist in the match.

Ferris would lead the Lakers on a late run that would result in a 25-15 victory in set one against the College of DuPage. After taking the momentum in set one, the Lakers jumped out to an early 13-8 lead, led by several hustle plays from Samuel Guardado and AJ DeBalso that would continue to give the Lakers momentum throughout the set. A strong rally by the Lakers late in the set gave them a 21-17 lead and would force a Chapparals timeout, ultimately setting the stage for victory in set two, 25-19.

The Chapparals continued to prove their relentlessness and unwillingness to give up in the match, putting the Lakers in a 4-1 hole to start set three. Attacking opportunities continued to be defended by the Chaparrals and several errors on the side of the Lakers failed to allow them to gain an edge early on in the set. A few strong rallies by the Lakers, a kills from outside hitters Nick Ferris and Jonah Grbic helped lead the team to a 25-16 win in set three. 

The Lakers will have a quick turnaround with a rematch against the Union County Owls on the docket tomorrow at 2 PM, followed by a 4 PM match with the SUNY Potsdam Bears.