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Courtesy Framingham State Sports Information

Framingham, Mass. - The top seed Framingham State University volleyball team defeated the second seed Bridgewater State University Bears 3-0 in the championship game to claim their first Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Volleyball Tournament Championship and will now head to the NCAA tournament with the MASCAC’s automatic bid.

Seeding and parings for the NCAA Tournament will be announced on Monday morning on ncaa.com.

The Rams (24-9) were able to defeat the Vikings of Salem State University in one semifinal match earlier in the day to earn them a spot in the championship game. Framingham only needed three-sets to eliminate the Vikings, as Tournament MVP Andressa Fernandes (Framingham, Mass.) finished with 12 kills.

Despite the loss, Salem State head coach Bruno Tramontozzi was proud of his ladies effort. “It was the first time in 10-years making the tournament and we gained a lot of good experience,” Tramontozzi said.

Salem State junior Jazmin Santos (Lawrence, Mass.) had six kills for the Vikings in the match, while senior Brittany Roscoe (Lowell, Mass.) chipped in four. Senior MacKenzie Carpenter (Peabody, Mass.) added 12 assists, while junior Nicole Roscoe (Lowell, Mass.) contributed 14 digs.

Fernandes led the Rams with 12 kills in the day’s first match, while sophomore Ashley Nee (Hanson, Mass.) chipped in nine and freshman Danielle Girard (Tivoli, NY) eight. Sophomore Kassandra Jermyn (Auburn, Mass.) racked up 27 assists, while sophomore Courtney Wilbur (Braintree, Mass.) and Nee led the defensive effort with 16 and 15 digs respectively.

In the most exciting match of the day, featuring the two teams that have combined for the past twelve MASCAC Championships was the second semifinal. Bridgewater overcame a 2-0 deficit to stun the third seed Westfield State University Owls in 5-sets (3-2) to advance to the finals.

Junior setter Melanie Appleman (Hyannis, Mass.) sparked the comeback but after the game credited all the success to junior middle-hitter Michelle Atkins (Chelsea, Mass.). “She killed it for us, and we just fed off that,” Appleman said.

Atkins led the Bears with a match-high 19 kills, while freshman Carolyn Morin (Marston Mills, Mass.) added 16 and 11 digs. Appleman finished with 38 assists and 22 digs, while Kristen Robillard (Swansea, Mass.) and Sarah Mullarkey (Salem, Mass.) added 18 and 16 digs.

Expect Westfield to be back in the thick of things next season with their entire roster expected to return. Freshman setter Stana Wheeler (Sunderland, Mass.) had 44-assits for the Owls despite the loss. Junior Julia Warner (Lee, Mass.) had a team-high 14 kills, while sophomore Carole Duquette (Feeding Hills, Mass.) had 10.

The head coach for Westfield, Fred Glanville spoke positively after the game despite the heart-breaking loss saying, “If you play hard you can’t get upset over that. We have to continue to work hard and stay positive. Good things happen if you work hard.”

In the championship game, the Rams used the energy from the home-crowd to defeat the Bears in three sets. Despite lopsided scores in the first two sets, the Bears would not quit and gave the Rams everything they had tying the third game at 24-24.

However, Fernandes added a huge kill, on a day where she eclipsed 1,000 for her career, to put the Rams back in control. A Bridgewater error on the next play would seal the victory and advance the Rams to the NCAA Tournament.

Head coach of the Bears, Liz Morris said after the game, “Overall I felt we played outstanding all day. We lost some momentum and we were tired from the game before. We have to find a way to internally motivate ourselves when that happens.”

Fernandes picked up 18 kills in the Championship Match to go along with 10 digs, while Girard chipped in 10 kills and nine digs. Jermyn had 34 assits for the Rams in the match and Nee added 18-digs.

Head coach for the Rams, Richard Casali spoke after the tournament saying. “I thought we’d win this thing. We’re very young so I thought it would take about a month to get things going.”

The Bears were led by Morin in the finals who picked up 10 kills and a pair of aces, while Appleman finished with four kills, 12 assists and eight digs. Junior Danielle Dean (Gilford, NH) chipped in 11 digs, while Robillard added nine.