The Emerson women’s volleyball team battled the Lasell University Lasers Tuesday night, hoping to cool down an undefeated non-conference opponent. Despite several close sets, the Lions fell to the Lasers 3-1 in a four-set thriller, and are now 3-3 overall.

Both teams traded points in the opening set before Lasell scored three points, gaining an 8-5 lead. Shortly after, kills by first-year middle hitter Catherine McDonough and sophomore setter Chloe Hokenson brought the Lions within one. Despite Emerson tying the set at 10, Lasell pulled away, eventually leading 22-15 behind emphatic spikes and swats. Junior defensive specialist Kori Meissner then rattled off four consecutive aces to keep the Lions in the hunt, cutting the deficit to three. However, Lasell proceeded to win set No. 1, 25-19, with a kill and two aces.

In the second set, the Lions took early leads before the Lasers responded accordingly. After a Lasell block gave them an 8-7 advantage, the Lions went on a run fueled by spikes and service aces, leading 13-9 after an attack by first-year right side Lizi Horning. Emerson kept its foot on the gas, leading by as many as nine after a series of Lasell mistakes. They took set No. 2 with ease, 25-13.

Emerson began set No. 3 with a commanding 10-4 lead before the Lasers caught up again. A pair of Lasell blocks brought the deficit within four, 11-7, and another run brought the score to 16-15 in favor of Emerson. The Lions maintained a narrow lead until the end of the set, when consecutive errors tied it at 23. After both sides exchanged points to tie the set at 24, a laser-accurate kill and ace gave the visitors the third set, 26-24.

The Lions were eager to steal another set from the Lasers, taking an early 8-4 lead after a double block by Hokenson and McDonough. Lasell continued to fight back, capitalizing on their offense and Emerson’s errors to get within one, 15-14. Both sides continued trading kills until a McDonough slam gave Emerson a 20-17 advantage.

The Lasers’ red-hot offense then evaporated the Lions’ lead, tying the set at 21 after a tap kill. After both sides traded points once more, two Emerson errors put Lasell on the doorstep of a 6-0 record. A game-winning block sealed the deal for the Lasers, as they took set No. 4, 25-22.

First-year outside hitter Shirley Yu led the Lions with 18 kills, while Horning added 13, and McDonough six. Hokenson dished a team-high 32 assists, and Meissner recorded five aces. Rounding out the Lions’ leaders were first-year middle hitter Emma Luehring with four blocks and sophomore libero Sami Kim with 14 digs.

Despite the result, head coach Ben Read was pleased with how the team executed the game plan.

“It wasn’t perfect at the start, but we actually did a really good job of executing it,” he said. “It was very productive. I liked that we were very aggressive [when] serving. We got them out of system, got a lot of aces.”

“There were a few mental mistakes—some big misses,” he added. “We did get our middles a little bit more involved than we have previously. They hit positive, [and] that hasn’t always been a thing for us, so that’s another plus.”

Read also discussed how eight new Lions—six first-years and two transfers—have adjusted to Emerson volleyball. Recent starting lineups have featured five first-year players, two sophomore returners and a transfer libero.

“That’s a lot of new faces [who are] trying to figure out how to play volleyball together in three weeks, but they’re doing very good,” he said. “Each practice, each game we’re getting a little bit better. So in two weeks, when we start conference play, I think we’ll be an even stronger team than we are now.”

Read has emphasized growth as the season goes on, particularly with a team that also features five sophomores, four juniors and—for the first time since 2014—no seniors.

“We are a young team, but we’re growing and getting better every day,” he said. “So it’s just keeping our eyes on the prize and [being] ready for conference play when it starts up.”

The Lions will face Wentworth Institute of Technology and Rivier University in a tri-match at the Bobbi Brown & Steven Plofker Gym on Saturday, Sept. 13. They face Wentworth at 11 a.m. and Rivier at 1 p.m.