Worcester, MA- For the second consecutive season and the fourth time in the last five seasons, the Worcester State Women’s Volleyball program has advanced to the MASCAC Championship Game for the chance to stamp their ticket to the NCAA Tournament. This season's run to the championship can be considered magical, as the Lasers had to upset last year’s MASCAC champion and number-one seed Framingham State to make the journey up to Westfield on Saturday afternoon. When the Lancers and Owls met up in Westfield on Oct. 14, Westfield State was able to defeat Worcester State 3-1 in four sets. However, the game result can prove to be misleading as two of the three sets Worcester State lost were by six or fewer points. Below are three keys that the Lady Lancers need to focus on to put themselves in a favorable position to bring a MASCAC Championship trophy back to Worcester. 

1. Ignore the Noise: Just inside the New England Patriots practice facility, Head Coach Bill Belichick has a big sign that his players and coaches see when they walk out the door as reminders, and one of the lines says, “Ignore the Noise.” Ignore the Noise according to the way Belichick sees it is do not buy into the positive/negative things said about the team from fans or media. In terms of Worcester State, they must tune out the roaring Westfield Crowd awaiting them on Saturday and not listen to fans who may tell them they do not have much of a chance against the Owls based on a regular season matchup.
2. Stay Composed: As the road team, Worcester State will want to win the first set to quiet a hostile gym. If Westfield State takes the first set Worcester State should be able to stay composed just as they during their semi-final match on Thursday, Framingham State won the first set handily but went on to lose three out of the final four sets to the Lancers.
3. Just go 1-0: At the end of the day, all Worcester State needs to do is win three sets in five tries to make a championship become a reality.

The Lancers have a chance to rewrite the book on last year’s ending on Saturday. They have worked all offseason and regular season to get back to this point, and the players/coaches feel they are ready to go on the road for the second time in three games to ruin a conference rivals championship celebration. These are the type of games that the ladies will remember five to ten years down the line when they have their reunion, and it is best when it is a happy memory celebrating a remarkable championship run.

by Conner Peters