Owls Spear Lancers to Advance to MASCAC Championship Game

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State senior Sarah Bingham (Reno, Nev.) registered a team-high 11 kills while adding four blocks and three aces as the top-seeded Owls clawed past fifth-seeded Worcester State in four sets (25-21, 25-18, 15-25, 25-23) in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference semifinal game from the Woodward Center in Westfield, Mass. (25-21, 25-18, 15-25, 25-23).

The Owls advance to the MASCAC Championship game and will host second-seeded Bridgewater State on Saturday at 2:00 P.M. from the Woodward Center in Westfield, Mass.

The opening and closing sets were tightly contested and the deciding factors in the match with Westfield prevailing in both. In the first set, the Owls held a slim 14-13 lead before recording three consecutive points after a Bingham kill followed by a block from Julia Bartiet (Cheshire, Conn.) and Morgan Dority (Walpole, Mass.), then a Lancers attacking error forced Worcester to burn a timeout.

The timeout proved to be beneficial as the Lancers would respond by tallying four of the next five points with a block assist from Maeve Cadogan (Wilmington, Mass.) and Cassidy D'Esposito (Medford, N.Y.) trimming the Owls lead to 19-17. The Lancers closed in to a single point later in the set after an Owls setting error, but a critical slam from Bartiet stemmed the run, followed by a Worcester attacking error which opened a three-point Owls lead.

Cadogan registered a kill out of a Lancers timeout, but consecutive kills from Bingham and Sydney Cummins (Nicholasville, Ky.) ended the first set, putting the Owls in front 1-0 in the match.

In the second frame, the Owls distanced themselves from the Lancers after totaling seven points in an eight-point stretch with a block from Bingham giving Westfield an 11-6 lead. Bingham, Dority, and Emma Nihill (Chandler, Ariz.) slammed home three straight kills to drive the Westfield advantage up to seven points. Worcester would get as close as four points for the remainder of the set with Westfield pulling away late in the frame with Emma Nihill finishing the set with a kill to give the Owls a two-sets-to-none lead. 

In the third set, the Lancers controlled play from the opening volley as Worcester would start the set with four consecutive points, all coming on the service game of Megan Bardis (Sterling, Mass.). The next six points in the set were traded off from both sides with a kill from Cassie Millea (Orange, Conn.) breaking such streak to give Worcester a five-point lead. The Lancers continued to build their lead, scoring six points in a seven-point span midway through the set to open up an 18-10 lead. Alexia Mitchell (Pawling, N.Y.) aced the Owls late in the set, advancing the lead into double digits where an Owls attacking error at the net would eventually force a fourth set.

Worcester continued to carry momentum into the fourth frame as an ace from Angela Colonis (Waterford, Conn.) gave the Lancers a 6-3 lead to begin the set. Several Lancers attacking errors sandwiched between a service ace from Cummins capped a four-point Owls run to hold a 7-6 edge. The lead exchanged hands multiple different occasions in the middle of the set before Westfield made a move down 17-16. Dority quickly pushed a dig from Cummins over the net for a kill to tie the match, then Bingham launched home an ace to put Westfield in front.

Out of a Worcester timeout, Emma Nihill delivered a kill, then on the next volley, Dority rose up to the net to stuff a Lancers attack, giving Westfield a 20-17 lead. Worcester continued to fight back, bringing the set back to one point after a kill from Colonis.

With the match tied at 23 apiece, the Owls turned to the rookie in Cummins to administer a crucial kill to bring the game to match point. Westfield would win the next point after a Lancers error, sending the Owls into the MASCAC Championship game.

Bingham's 11 kills came on just 20 attacks. Emma Nihill and Cummins each had nine kills while Julia Dangel-Garcia (Ashland, Mass.) had 21 assists. Chloe Schuld (Sycamore, Ill.) paced Westfield with 17 digs.

D'Esposito was one of three Lancers to top ten kills, recording a game-high 12 kills. Colonis added 11 kills, 13 assists and 12 digs while Cadogan chipped in ten kills. Bardis totaled 22 assists and libero Katherine Crateau (North Andover, Mass.) led Worcester with 22 digs.