Falcons Split Tri-Match with Nichols, Curry

Fitchburg, Mass. – The Fitchburg State women's volleyball team split a tri-match with Nichols College and Curry College this afternoon at Parkinson Gymnasium. In game one, the Falcons fell to the Bison, 3-0, while in the nightcap, the Green and Gold powered past the Colonels 3-2 in five sets.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 0, Nichols 3 (25-22, 25-19, 25-16)
Score: Fitchburg State 3, Curry 2 (25-13, 25-17, 10-25, 24-26, 15-10)
Records: Fitchburg State (2-2) | Nichols (7-0) | Curry (3-2)

How it Happened | Fitchburg State 0, Nichols 3 (25-22, 25-19, 25-16)

Knotted at 9-9, the Falcons reeled off an 11-4 run capped by an ace from sophomore Shianne Harewood (Sterling, Mass.) to take a 20-13 advantage. Trailing 21-16, the Bison poured in five straight off the serve of Kya Burdier to even the game at 21-21. After a kill from sophomore Samantha Mirra (Burlington, Mass.) forged Fitchburg State ahead 22-21, Nichols closed out the match with a pair of kills from Ryley Plourde and Luna Colozzo to take game one.

In another back-and-forth match, the hosts stayed close with a kill from Stephanie Sardella (Billerica, Mass.) to trail 10-8. The Bison capitalized on a pair of defensive miscues to lead 17-8. Fitchburg State continued to battle with a pair of points on senior Meredith Taylor's (Reading, Mass.) serve (21-18), but the Bison secured the second set victory with an ace from Ruby St. Onge.

 Nichols grabbed a 13-7 lead in the third set off a kill from Liz Diorio before the Falcons could cut the deficit to 13-9 as freshman Iyana Lopez (Lowell, Mass.) had a block and a kill from Mirra. The visitors put together a 6-2 run as Sydney Ball led the way with a pair of aces. Fitchburg State counted with three straight points with two kills from sophomore Sariah Dyer (Raynham, Mass.), however, it wasn't enough as the Bison secured the match, drawing an attack error from the Falcons.

Inside the Numbers

• Meredith Taylor became the Falcons' all-time leader in assists, passing Inori Kunimi, who held the record with 337 assists since 1998. Taylor had 14 assists and 8 digs in the match.
• Mirra finished with 9 kills and 13 digs, while Emily Gelinas (Westfield, Mass.) finished with 4 kills, 10 assists, and 3 blocks
• The Bison were led by Diorio, who had a match-high 18 digs and an ace. Colozzo contributed 10 kills, an ace, and 5 digs

Game 2

How It Happened | Fitchburg State 3, Curry 2 (25-13, 25-17, 10-25, 24-26, 15-10)

Fitchburg State raced out to an early 9-4 edge in the first set on a kill and an ace from Mirra. Morgan Muscato had a kill for Curry to cut the deficit to 12-7. However, the Falcons answered with 7-1 streak capped by a pair of aces from junior Catherine Goodearl (Marston Mills, Mass.)  to extend the lead to 24-10. Curry scored the following three points but fell 25-13 in game one.

In game two the Falcons held an early 8-4 margin with a pair of points on Gelinas' serve. Curry answered with a pair of aces from Guzman to trim the lead to 8-7. In a tight match and leading 14-13, the Green and Gold went on a 6-1 run to hold the 20-14 lead. The Falcons secured the second set with a kill from Mirra.

Curry answered in game three. They grabbed a 13-4 advantage with a service ace from Guzman.  Fitchburg State responded with a pair of points to cut the deficit to 22-8; however, the Colonels closed out the game with a kill from Jess Sullivan.

Curry would take a 6-2 advantage in the fourth set off a Muscato kill, but Fitchburg State answered back with a kill from Mirra to trail 8-6. The visitors extended the lead to 13-6 with a 5-0 run. The Falcons chipped their way back into the match and knotted the game at 24-24 with another great kill from Mirra. The Colonels netted the final two points to force a fifth set.

Fitchburg State took a 3-0 lead off a kill from Sardella; however, Curry would counter with a kill from Guzman to knot the game at 6-6. The Falcons answered with four consecutive scored and sealed the victory with an ace from Taylor.

Inside the Numbers

• Fitchburg State was led by Samantha Mirra with a match-leading 22 digs, 11 kills, and a service ace, while Stephanie Sardella added a team-best 14 kills, 17 dig and two aces.
• Meredith Taylor was also solid for the Green and Gold, contributing with 19 assists, one kill and three service aces.
• For Curry, Guzman registered a match-best 17 kills, three service aces, two blocks and 19 digs, while Abby Sousa chipped in with 20 assists, two service aces, and seven digs.
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Up Next

Falcons will travel to Bridgewater State on Tuesday, September 13^th, to start MASCAC conference play. The first serve is slated for 7 PM.