Weston, MA --- The Worcester State women's volleyball defeated host Regis, 3-0, in sets, 25-18, 25-17 and 25-22, in the opening round of the Pride Invitational this afternoon. The Lancers were paced by nine kills and 13 digs from sophomore Megan Brown (Dartmouth, MA) and 19 assists from senior Joanne Grenier (Orange, MA).
Senior Katey Figella (Feeding Hills, MA) put up 11 digs followed by second-year Vicki O'Brien (Canton, MA) tally of nine while junior teammates Becky Lebel (Millbury, MA) and Kristen Koles (Billerica, MA) tacked on four kills apiece.
Sophomore Sara Gold (North Hollywood, CA) notched 20 digs to lead Regis as senior Domingas Gomes (Brockton, MA) added 16 digs and two aces. Sophomore Caitlyn Walsh had a great all-around game with seven assists, seven digs and a pair of aces and second year Angelica Endara (Boca Raton, FL) chipped in with six kills.
WSU led 6-2 in the opening frame before the Pride used a trio of attacking errors to trim the margin to 8-6. With the Lancers holding onto a slim 12-10 lead, the Blue and Gold would go on a 10-4 run - with a trio of kills from Brown - to take command of the match and earn the triumph.
In the second set Worcester State found themselves in a 10-8 deficit to start off the match. The Lancers eventually would turn the tide, knot the score twice and open up a 15-12 lead. With the WSU ahead by two (18-16), the Blue and Gold would dominate the rest of the stanza as they closed with a 7-1 outburst, with two kills from Lebel.
Worcester State led off the third with a quick 7-2 margin as the Pride would take advantage of errors to equal the score, 9-9.
Following four ties and six lead changes, Worcester State would emerge from a 21-21 score and end the match with a 4-1 surge. The points would come in the form of a kill from Tyo, an ace from Lebel and O'Brien added a kill for the match clincher.
Tomorrow the Lancers will play three matches including a 10 AM matchup against WPI, a 1 o'clock battle against MIT and a game at 4 versus Suffolk.
Play-by-Play Courtesy of Regis Sports Information. Worcester State Statistics Courtesy of Head Coach Bernie Chase