Worcester, MA- The Worcester State Volleyball team returned to action tonight, taking on WPI in a Thursday night battle. The Lancers looked to rebound after a back and forth battle on Tuesday versus Regis.
Final: Worcester: 3 WPI: 2
The Lancers took an early 2-0 set lead over the WPI and looked the be heading for a quick evening on the Engineers but a hard fought battle tin the second set let ft the Lancers drained until a final set comeback battle saw them walk away with the victory in a hotly contested battle.
Junior Angela Colonis (Waterford, CT) set the mark for the Lancers with team highs of nine kills and 20 assists while senior Maeve Cadogan (Wilmington, MA) and first year Beatrice Gamboa-Estrella (Simi Valley, CA) each had eight kills with Cadogan adding three blocks and Gamboa-Estrella adding 10 digs. Graduate Student Camryn Burgio (Quincy, MA) led the defense with a match-best 24 digs, with junior Megan Bardis (Rutland, MA) adding three aces to the night's match.
The Engineers had an early 7-4 edge in the first set, but Worcester State tied the set at 7-7. An 8-4 surge pushed the Lancers on top 15-11. The Engineers attempted to rally to tie it at 15-all but after three more tie ups, including 18-18, Worcester State began to pull away, closing the set with a 5-1 run to win it 25-20.
After six early ties in the second, WPI surged ahead with a 6-0 run, going up 15-9 but the Lancers cut the lead down to 17-15 and ultimately brought the score to 21-21 with a 12-6 surge. Coming out of an Engineers timeout, the Lancers continued to roll and held a 24-23 advantage but WPI was not willing to concede the set without a fight. WPI spoiled set point and the match was tied again at 25 and 26 before Worcester State won it 28-26 on back-to-back Engineers errors to go up 2-0.
Another tight set followed in the third. The Lancers went up three early, but the Engineers made it an 11-11 and tied it up again at 16-16. The Lancers fought hard to end the match in three sets but WPI created separation, scoring nine of the next 13 points to grab a 25-20 win and close the match score to 2-1.
The Match was tied in the fourth after a back-and-forth battle, the set was defined by early points and small lead, with neither team leading by more than three. With the Lancers up 12-10, WPI took over the lead with a 5-1 surge. Worcester State cut the advantage to 18-16, but the Engineers rolled down the stretch, closing the frame on a 7-2 run to win it 25-18.
In the final frame, WPI scored the first two points, but WSU answered with a 7-1 run to go up 7-3. The Engineers rallied to close the gap to 7-6, but following a timeout, the Lancers rattled off an 8-1 surge to win the frame 15-7 and the match, 3-2 to claim the hard fought victory on the night, and a win in the Worcester Battle with WPI.
The Lancers move up to (x4-4, 0-0) while WPI now sits at (2-5,0-0). Worcester is next in action on Saturday September 16th when they head to Suffolk University for a Tri-Match versus Suffolk and Keene State.