Worcester, MA- After an exciting week and weekend of non conference action to prime the path, the Worcester State Women's Volleyball team (4-11, 0-0) is kicking off conference action this evening as they journey to Salem State to take on the Vikings.

Final

Worcester State: 3

Salem State: 1

How It Happened:

The Lancers won the opening point of the day and kept that momentum going into the rest of the match. The first set saw a lot of quick actions between both teams' front lines as well as their setters making dynamic plays. The Lancers would go on a 7 point scoring rally to find the score at 10-5. Salem would call a timeout in a bid to try to get their heads back in the game. This would then transition into a 17-9 lead after junior Megan Brandis (Sterling, MA) would record two aces and played an active role in the Lancers defensive sets. This positive lead would be chipped away at for a time by the Vikings but Worcester would hold to win the first set 25-23. 

The second set would see the Lancers score first again but the set would be matched up pretty evenly with the Vikings halfway through. The scoreline would read 16-15 before the first timeout was called. The Lancers would have some momentum after this timeout getting a couple of points but the Vikings would not back down and challenged the Lancers everytime, scoring and answering back to keep pace. The set would see a 24-24 tie game that would require either team to get deuces to come away with the win. The Vikings would manage to succeed first grabbing this set with a 26-24 victory. 

The next set would be a crucial one as the team that wins the third set in volleyball wins 67 percent of the time. This stat includes games that are sweeps as well as those that go 4 or 5 sets. The Lancers knew this reality and came away with the win. They were however down a couple of points once half the set was completed. The Vikings would lose on a big rally to make the points total 15-17. The Lancers would not turn their backs after getting this point courtesy of a junior Cassidy D'Esposito (Milford, NY) kill. D'Esposito would be responsible for ending the match after being set by Angela Colonis (Waterford, CT). The Lancers would win the third set by three points with the final result coming in at 25-22.

The fourth and ultimate final set of the match would see Worcester jump out to an early comfortable 6-1 lead that they would quickly push out to 12-4, before the Vikings really had a chance to make a dent in the action. Salem would work to bring the score to within four points, but the Lancers were quick to head them off, again grabbing a six point lead. The game would settle into a back and forth match grab with each team trading points before Worcester pushed their way through to the 25-15 set and match victory. 

First year Katheryn Crateau (North Andover, MA) would end the night with a team leading 17 digs while D'Esposito would end her night with 14 kills. 

What's Next:

With one conference battle under their belt, Worcester State (5-11, 1-0) will step away from the fray to head to Trinity College this weekend in another Saturday Tri-Match fun. They will take on Trinity at 11am, followed by Nichols at 1pm.