We Are the Champions

Lasell women's volleyball wins GNAC title

By David Nathan

The Lasell women’s volleyball team enjoyed its best season in 2023 as the Lasers captured their first Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

Along the way, the Lasers won a school-record 27 matches, including an all-time best 16 in a row. Of Lasell’s five losses, two came against league rivals Simmons and Regis, both of which the Lasers avenged in winning the conference tournament.

GNAC Tournament MVP Juliana Medini ’25 and McKenna McCool ’25 earned all-conference recognition. Medini recorded a conference-high 121 blocks on the season while McCool finished with a team-leading 303 kills and a league-best 80 service aces. Sydney Katz ’26 was named to the GNAC third team and Emily Cerasani ’25 made the All-Sportsmanship team.

Although Lasell fell to perennial powerhouse Johns Hopkins in the first round of the NCAAs, Coach Jeff Vautrin ’17 has high hopes for the future since so many of the team’s top players were underclassmen.

Pictured above: Emily Vanhouten ’25 and her teammates celebrate their GNAC victory.