Falcons Close Out 2021 Season At Salem State

Mirra and Riccardi combine for 19 kills

Salem, Mass. – The Fitchburg State Women's Volleyball team dropped a 3-1 decision to the Vikings of Salem State University this evening in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action from the Twohig Gymnasium.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 1, Salem State 3 (14-25, 23-25, 25-16, 22-25)
Records: Fitchburg State (2-21, 1-6 MASCAC) | Salem State (6-18, 2-5 MASCAC)

Set One
Salem State raced out to an 11-4 margin in the first set on an attack error before Fitchburg State cut the deficit to 16-11 on a kill by senior Leah Sheehan (Billerica, Mass.). The Vikings secured the first set, 25-14 as senior Danielle Sheehan (Walpole, Mass.) notched the kill.

Set Two
The Vikings took a 10-4 edge in the middle set on a kill from Sheehan, but the Falcons battled back with service ace from freshman Samantha Mirra (Burlington, Mass.) and a kill by Sheehan for the 17-16 lead. Salem State responded to take the second set though, 25-23 as senior Miranda Quinlan (Billerica, Mass.) notched the kill.

Set Three

Fitchburg State would grab a 7-3 advantage in the third set on a kill by graduate student Lauren Riccardi (Tewksbury, Mass.) before trimmed the lead to 7-6 as senior Genevieve Kempster (Hopedale, Mass.) collected the service ace. The Green and Gold responded with a 5-0 run to end the set, capped by a Riccardi kill for the 25-16 final.

Set Four

The Falcons took a 4-1 lead in the fourth set on a service ace from Sheehan, but Salem State answered with a kill by newcomer Eva Haralabatos (Melrose, Mass.) to tie the score at 7-7. The Vikings opened up a 23-15 edge after an attack error before the Green and Gold cut into the lead (20-24) on a Mirra kill. The Vikings secured the victory however on a service error, resulting in the 25-20 final.

Inside the Numbers

This evening's contest marked 24th meeting between Fitchburg State and Salem State on the volleyball court with the Falcons 4-20 all-time when taking on the Vikings

Salem State has won the previous seven matchups against Fitchburg State, including a 3-0 decision in the last meeting on November 2, 2019 at the Twohig Gymnasium

Sophomore Emily Gelinas (Westfield, Mass. paced the Falcons with a double-double of 12 digs and 11 assists as well as two kills and two service aces, while Mirra added a double-double of 20 digs and ten kills to go along with two service aces and one solo block. Sheehan was also strong for the Green and Gold, collecting eight kills, one assist, two service aces, three digs and one solo block.

For the Vikings, Haralabatos finished with a double-double of 24 assists and 13 digs to go along with two kills and one service ace, while Kempster chipped in with seven kills, two assists, five service aces and 21 digs.

Up Next

Falcons conclude its season with an overall record of 2-20 and a 1-6 clip in conference play. The Vikings secured the sixth seed in the upcoming MASCAC women's volleyball post-season tournament and await their opponent.