Dean College Rallies Past Fitchburg State

Riccardi, Woolley and Carroll combine for 16 kills in non-conference setback  

Franklin, Mass. - Kaitlyn Anderson (Clinton, Conn.) and Aminah Tsonga (Plainville, Conn.) combined for 24 kills and host Dean College rallied for a thrilling 3-1 win over Fitchburg State in non-league women's volleyball action on Thursday evening.

THE BASICS:
Score: Dean College 3, Fitchburg State 1 (20-25, 28-26, 25-9, 25-13)
Records: Dean College (3-3), Fitchburg State (1-5)
Location: Pieri Gymnasium, Franklin, Mass.
Date: Thursday, September 14, 2017
Time: 7:00 p.m.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
The match opened up as a back and forth affair and early on in the first set, the score was even at eight all. Fitchburg went on a brief spurt to gain some separation and after an Annie Woolley (Malden, Mass./Malden) kill, the Falcons were ahead 14-9. Fitchburg kept the Bulldogs at bay for the rest of the set and after a Dean ball handling error, the set was over at 25-20.

Things looked bleak for the Bulldogs as the second set wore on, trailing 19-12 after consecutive service aces from Serene Pease (Ashland, Mass./Ashland). Dean, methodically closed the gap, however, and when Tsonga hammered down a pair of kills, the score was all square at 24-24.

The set was tied two more times at 25-25 and again at 26-26 and then Bulldogs took advantage of a Fitchburg attack error and got another kill from Tsonga to complete the comeback and win the set, 28-26.

Riding the emotion of the previous frame, Dean stepped on the gas in the third set rolling to an easy 25-9 victory. The score was tied at 1-1 until the hosts got hot and went on a run that when the smoke cleared, they were in command at 12-3 on their way to the 16-point set victory.

The fourth set was all Bulldogs in the beginning as they raced out to a near insurmountable 12-1 lead. FSU did their best to climb back, getting as close as 19-11 but Dean took the set and the match with a 25-13 decision.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
Anderson finished with a match-best 13 kills, while Tsonga recorded a double-double with 11 kills and 15 digs. Melanie Rios-Nevarez (Vega Alta, Puerto Rico) handed out a career-best 24 assists to go along with 15 digs of her own and Sami Mulcahy (Taunton, Mass.) ended with 24 digs.

Kathryn Carroll (Shrewsbury Mass./Shrewsbury) led the Falcons with six kills, while Woolley and Lauren Riccardi (Tewksbury, Mass.Tewksbury) chipped in with five kills each.

UP NEXT:
The Bulldogs are back in action on Saturday when they host a tri-match with SUNY-Delhi and Fisher College beginning at 11:00 AM. Fitchburg State is off until Monday when they host New England College, for a matchup starting at 7 PM.

Release Courtesy of Dean College SID Office