WORCESTER, Mass. - The Worcester State University women's volleyball team took home two wins Saturday in a doubleheader that pitted them against the Western New England Golden Bears and the Colby-Sawyer Chargers.
With the wins, the Lancers have now won their last five matches, and move to 6-5 overall on the season.
The Lancers won their first match of the day against the Golden Bears by a score of 3-1. Set scores were 20-25, 25-12, 25-21, 25-17.
The Golden Bears started strong, taking the first set 25-20 to jump out to an early 1-0 lead. It was a close set throughout, but the Golden Bears managed five straight points down the stretch that proved to be the difference.
The Lancers looked like a completely different team in set number two. Five kills each from seniors Emily Carens (Northborough, Mass.) and Amari King (Lawrence, Mass.) led the way to a 25-12 win in the second set.
Worcester State capped the third set with a 5-1 run to win 25-21. Senior Lauren Murphy (Taunton, Mass.) recorded three kills in the run to push the Lancers into the lead.
The Lancers took the fourth set 25-17 to win the match. Worcester State got out to a 22-13 lead after a kill by junior Marissa Proia (Framingham, Mass.). The Golden Bears and the Lancers traded points from there out to finish the match.
King finished with 18 kills to lead the Lancers, while Carens added 15, and Murphy with 10. Senior Megan Leavens (Storrs, Conn.) had a strong match across the board for Worcester State, chipping in eight digs, five assists, and three service aces. The Golden Bears were paced by junior Ashley Matthews' (Salem, N.H.) 14 kills, followed closely by 13 from senior Jenna Ferguson (Ellington, Conn.).
In their second match of the day, the Lancers swept Colby Sawyer 3-0, winning each set by double digits. Set scores were 25-11, 25-10, 25-15.
In the first set, Worcester started off hot, jumping out to an 11-2 lead. King pitched in again, recording three kills in those 11 points. The Lancers capped off the first set with a kill from Carens securing a 25-11 victory.
Five straight points from the Lancers capped the second set and gave them a commanding 2-0 lead. King recorded three service aces in the set to pace Worcester State.
The third set was closer throughout, but with the Lancers ahead 18-15 approaching the end of the match, the Lancers went on a 7-0 run propelled the hosts to the win. Back-to-back Natalie Gillis (Ashland, Mass.) kills preceded four consecutive Lancer service aces on the match-clinching run. Senior Allie Nolan (Melrose, Mass.) had the first three, before freshman Sarah Ward (Townsend, Mass.) came off the bench to replicate the feat. Ward also won the final point with a kill.
Junior Stephanie Chapin (Hampden, Mass.) led the way in the second game with eight kills for the Lancers. Leavens finished with nine digs and two service aces. The Chargers were paced by junior Rebecca Straubel's (Altamont, N.Y.) six kills.
The Lancers next matchup is a home outing against Keene State, this Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Chargers will head to Eastern Nazarene College on Wednesday, with the match starting at 7 p.m., while the Golden Bears travel Curry on Wednesday.