Worcester, MA- The Worcester State Volleyball team hosted Fitchburg State for a midday Saturday MASCAC matchup. The Lancers are looking to grab their second conference victory and remain unbeaten in MASCAC play.
The first set opened up with points going back and forth evenly before Worcester State got into their groove and took off with momentum. Lancers junior Angela Colonis (Waterford, CT), sophomore Cassidy D'esposito (Medford, MA) and graduate student Camryn Burgio (Quincy, MA) worked extremely well together to gain Worcester points to win the first set 25-14.
Worcester gained five points on the board in the second set before Fitchburg was able to retaliate and gain one of their own. Blocks by Falcons Sariah Dyer (Raynham, MA) and Diana Sosa-Martinez (Saugus, MA) as well as strong attacks by Stephanie Sardella (Billerica, MA) helped Fitchburg begin to close the gap and prevent a quick Lancers run away in the set. A solid block by senior Maeve Cadogan (Wilmington, MA) and D'esposito tipped the ball over the net for the Lancers 18th point, and a wave of momentum that guided the Lancers to the second set victory. Several Fitchburg errors ended up costing them the second set, which ended 25-15.
The Falcons took their first lead of the day in the third set after multiple Lancer errors to put them up 8-6. Worcester State would not let them have it for long as strong communication and well executed plays by all on the court allowed them to tie it up and then take the lead after a long back and forth rally. Both teams were locked in and forced another long rally as the score remained close. The Falcons worked to grab a set victory in the match, and extend the day into a fourth, and potentially tying, fourth set victory. A service error by the Falcons gave Worcester the lead 12-11, and a great hit by D'esposito earned them the next point as well. The Lancers began to pull away, extending their lead to six, but the Falcons were focused on the fight and hustled their way to closing the gap to just three points. With momentum swinging in their direction, the fourth set was looming for the Lancers, but a kill by Colonis off a Falcons serve put the match away as Worcester claimed the 25-21 victory and claimed the afternoon sweep on Salem.
D'Esposito and first year Beatrice Gamboa-Estrella(Simi Valley, CA) led the Lancers in overall attacks, while Cadogan was an unstoppable force in front of the net with two blocks and two block assists, scoring seven total points for the Lancers on 10 digs.
The Lancers (7-11, 2-0) play next at Bridgewater State on Wednesday, October 11, at 6pm where they will look to gain another conference win and hopefully their third straight conference sweep.