Boston - For the third time this season, the Blazers (15-14, 3-4) faced off against the Saints (12-13, 4-3), this time in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Quarterfinals. The result would be the same as the first two matches, as Emmanuel cleanly swept Elms to secure a matchup with top seeded Lasell on Thursday night.
 
In the first frame, the Saints set the tone with one of their best executed sets of the season, dominating Elms by a score of 25-10. After taking an 8-4 lead, Emmanuel followed it up with 10 unanswered points, leading by 14. The home team had a .609 attack percentage in the set as they grabbed the momentum early on.
 
The second set was more of what was expected in a match between these familiar foes. It was a back and forth affair until the set got down to the wire, as Emmanuel held an 18-17 lead after a kill from the Blazers' John Pagan. The Saints would go on to score six of the next seven points, distancing themselves as they were able to secure the second set by a score of 25-19.
 
The Blazers threw their best punch in the third set, as for the first time all night they were able to grab a lead of more than one, when a kill from Nicholas Uschmann put the visitors up by a score of 10-8. Emmanuel kept on fighting, going on a quick 4-0 spurt to take a 12-10 advantage. The score was 12-11 when senior Trey Guest had his loudest kill of the night, spiking it into the feet of the opposition.
 
The Blazers hung around until the very end, as they trailed by just one at 17-16. Emmanuel would then go on to grab seven of the next eight points, taking the set and ending Elms' season, completing the sweep.
 
Guest led the way with 19 kills in this one, with junior Cayson Branconier tacking on eight kills. First year Tye Barrett paced the offense with 37 assists.
 
Up Next:
The Saints will travel to Newton to take on #1 seeded Lasell on Thursday night with a spot in the GNAC Championship on the line. The first serve of the postseason clash will be at 7:00 PM.