NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Albertus Magnus College women's volleyball team battled hard, but was dealt a pair of losses in its Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) openers on Saturday. The first match of the day saw the Falcons fall to Lasell University, 3-0, while the second bout was a five-set classic that went the way of Suffolk University.

THE BASICS
MATCH 1 FINAL: Lasell 3 | Albertus Magnus 0
MATCH 2 FINAL: Suffolk 3 | Albertus Magnus 2
RECORDS: Albertus Magnus (4-5, 0-2 GNAC) | Lasell (3-6, 1-0 GNAC) | Suffolk (6-3, 2-0 GNAC)
MATCH 1 BOX | MATCH 2 BOX

MATCH 1 VS. Lasell
Set One: Lasell 25 | Albertus 19
Set Two: Lasell 25 | Albertus 22
Set Three: Lasell 25 | Albertus 22

KEY HIGHLIGHTS:
• The loss in the opener is Albertus' first at home all year.
• Diana Kalman (Naugatuck, Conn.) paced the Falcons' offense with seven kills and a .217 hitting percentage.
• Jesselle Guzman (El Paso, Texas) commanded the Albertus defense with 12 digs.
• Jaiden Williams (Orange, Conn.) came close to a double-double in the opener with 18 assists and eight digs.
• Kiana Perez Diaz led the Lasers with a whopping 17 kills on 35 swings.

TEAM HIGHS
Albertus:
• Diana Kalman – 7 Kills
• Jaiden Williams – 18 Assists
• Peyton Davis (North Haven, Conn.), Diana Kalman and Jaiden Williams – 2 Aces
• Jesselle Guzman – 12 Digs
• Irene Ronan (West Haven, Conn.) and Jaiden Williams – 1 Block

Lasell:
• Kiana Perez Diaz – 17 Kills
• Jess Langan – 34 Assists
• Kiana Perez Diaz – 6 Aces
• Karissa Gaughan – 15 Digs
• Meg Roberts, Meg Carroll and Kiana Perez Diaz – 1 Block

MATCH 2 VS. Suffolk
Set One: Albertus 25 | Suffolk 20
Set Two: Suffolk 25 | Albertus 20
Set Three: Albertus 25 | Suffolk 18
Set Four: Suffolk 25 | Albertus 19
Set Five: Suffolk 15 | Albertus 6

KEY HIGHLIGHTS:
• The second match of the day was Albertus' first five-setter of the 2019 campaign.
• The Falcons tied a season high with five blocks against the Rams.
• Albertus was one dig shy of a season high with 79 in the nightcap.
• Guzman ended the second match with a career-best 36 digs, three more than her previous career high posted last season.
• Kalman again led the Falcons' offense, this time with nine kills.
• Williams logged her second double-double of the year with 16 assists and 13 digs.

TEAM HIGHS
Albertus:
• Diana Kalman – 9 Kills
• Jaiden Williams – 16 Assists
• Jesselle Guzman – 5 Aces
• Jesselle Guzman – 36 Digs
• Jaiden Williams – 2 Blocks

Suffolk:
• Kayla Barbera – 14 Kills
• Kenzley Bell – 22 Assists
• Hannah Fabiano – 3 Aces
• Kenzley Bell – 25 Digs
• Hannah Fabiano and Stephanie Rheaume – 2 Blocks

DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Albertus:
• Jaiden Williams – 16 Assists and 13 Digs

Suffolk:
• Kenzley Bell – 22 Assists and 25 Digs
• Kayla Barbera – 14 Kills 11 Digs

UP NEXT
The women's volleyball team steps out of conference play on Tuesday, Sept. 17, to host Mitchell College for a 7 p.m. match at the Cosgrove Marcus Messer Athletic Center.