WESTFIELD, Mass. – Led by 12 kills from senior Erin Gaffney (Worcester, MA), Worcester State University women's volleyball came up just short in their 2022 Championship bid loosing the match 3-1 to Westfield State University at the Woodward Center on Saturday afternoon. Westfield won by set scores of 25-22, 25-20, 20-25, and 25-22 in the final set, when Westfield rallied from down 22-19, winning the final six points of the match to close out the Lancers for the title.
Westfield, 13-11 overall, earns the MASCAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament with the win. The Owls won their sixth conference tournament crown and will make their sixth NCAA appearance
Westfield got off to a fast start in the first set as Shawna Crowley powered a kill to set the tone on the opening point, then Ashley added a tip kill to set the Owls up for an early lead which the held throughout the set. In the set, Westfield led 10-6 before Worcester battled back to tie the set at 16-all, and the Owls eased away to close out the set.
In the third set, Worcester led 16-14, then got three straight kills from first year Cassidy D'Esposito (Medford, N.Y.), Gaffney and senior Gabby Albergini (Northboro, Mass.) to extend the lead to 19-14 and held the Owls off.
The momentum appeared to be swinging the Lancers' way in the fourth set, as Worcester won three straight points before the critical timeout. Westfield's 6-0 run was the biggest of the match by either side as the two teams largely traded points throughout.
Worcester State's season comes to a close with an 8-22 overall record. The fourth-seeded Lancers turned a 5-3 conference record into a semifinal round upset of top seed Framingham State, giving the second-seeded Owls a chance to host the title game.
The Lancers were today by 12 kills from Gaffney, and nine each from Angela Colonis (Waterford, Conn.) and Camryn Burgio (Quincy, Mass.). Colonis turned in a strong all-around performance with 17 digs and 21 assists, while Burgio led with 22 digs.
Worcester State closes ou their season and impressive playoff run with a 9-22 overall record and 4-3 in the conference.