Falcons Clipped By Owls, 3-1 In MASCAC Action

Fitchburg, Mass. – The Fitchburg State Women's Volleyball team dropped a 3-1 decision to the Owls of Westfield State University this evening in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action from the Parkinson Gymnasium.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 1, Westfield State 3 (25-21, 14-25, 11-25, 14-25)
Records: Fitchburg State (1-15, 0-4 MASCAC) | Westfield State (4-16, 3-1 MASCAC)

Set One
Fitchburg State grabbed an 11-5 edge in the opening set on a kill and a solo block from graduate student Lauren Riccardi (Tewksbury, Mass.) before Westfield State cut the deficit to 15-13 as senior Ashley Crowley (Billerica, Mass.) notched a kill. The Falcons closed out the first thought on anther kill by Riccardi and a solo block from senior Leah Sheehan (Billerica, Mass.), resulting in the 25-21 final.

Set Two
The Owls took a 3-0 edge in the second frame on a service ace by sophomore Bridgette McAndrews (Longmeadow, Mass.), but the Green and Gold answered with block and a kill from Sheehan. Westfield State extended the lead to 11-5 following a McAndrews kill before Fitchburg State countered (11-7) as freshman Sariah Dyer (Raynham, Mass.) registered a kill, while Riccard added a service ace. The visitors secured the set second victory however with a Sarah Bingham (Reno, Nev.) kill.

Set Three

The Green and Gold opened the third set with a 2-0 advantage on a kills from Sheehan and Riccardi before Westfield State responded with a Crowley kill to take a 5-4 lead. The Falcons answered back with a Samantha Mirra (Burlington, Mass.) kill (9-6), but the Owls went on a 6-1 run, capped by a Bingham service ace to make the score 16-6, resulting in the 25-11, third set triumph.

Set Four
Westfield State raced out to a quick 6-0 lead in the fourth set on a pair of service aces by McAndrews before Fitchburg State trimmed the deficit to 9-5 as Riccardi and senior Amy Coelho (Bellingham, Mass.) registered kills. Trailing 19-9, the Falcons battled back as Mirra netted a kill, while Sheehan added a pair of solo block to make the score 19-13 before the Owls earned the 25-14, fourth set win on a Crowley kill.

Inside the Numbers

This evening's contest marked 16th meeting between Fitchburg State and Westfield state on the volleyball court with the Falcons 1-15 all-time when taking on the Owls

Westfield State has won the previous 14 matchups against Fitchburg State, including a 3-0 decision in the last meeting on October 23, 2019 at the Parkinson Gymnasium

Sheehan paved the way for the Falcons, registering a match-best six solo blocks, six kills, two assists and one dig, while Riccardi chipped in with six kills, one service ace, two digs, one solo block and one blocking assists. Sophomore Emily Gelinas (Westfield, Mass.) was also solid for the Green and Gold, collecting a team-leading 13 assists, four kills, one service ace and three digs.

For the Owls, Crowley finished with a match-best 11 kills, three digs and one solo block, while McAndrews added eight kills, ten service aces and nine digs.

Up Next

Falcons return to action on Friday as they host the Rams of Framingham State and the Engineers of WPI in a tri-match at 4:00 pm and 8:00 PM. Owls will host the Bears of Bridgewater State and the Blazers of Elms College for a tri-match at 11:00 am and 3:00 PM.