FRAMINGHAM, Mass. – The Curry College women's volleyball team won a pair of matches in a road tri-match this afternoon against Fitchburg State and Framingham State. With the wins, the Colonels improve to 13-9 on the year and have secured the most wins in a single season in program history.

MATCH 1 – Curry 3, Fitchburg State 0 (25-21, 25-9, 25-17)

The Colonels opened their first match of the afternoon by controlling the action in the first set. After grabbing a 9-4 lead to start the contest, Curry benefitted from back-to-back Falcon attack errors, which made the score 14-8. After the Colonels extended their lead to 23-13, Fitchburg State gave them a scare by scoring eight of the next nine points to cut the deficit to three at 24-21. A kill by freshman Lauren Guzman (Cranston, R.I.), however, closed out the first frame in favor of the Colonels, 25-21.

Entering the second set, Curry looked even more dominant than in the opening points of the first game, jumping out to a 14-3 advantage thanks to a seven-point run. The teams traded points, but the Colonels retained their 11-point lead at 19-8. The Falcons fended off set-point to make it 24-9, but Lexi Pereira (Attleboro, Mass.) secured the decisive win in set two with a kill, making it 25-9.

Despite a closer score during the onset of set three, the Colonels search for a sweep was boosted by consecutive kills by Pereira, which made the score 11-6. The Falcons kept it close at 13-9, but a four-point run by Curry extended their lead to eight points. Fitchburg State fought to cut into their opponents' advantage, but could get no closer than six as the Colonels took the match by closing out set three with a 25-17 score.

In the win, Pereira notched a match-high 16 kills, while senior Shea Mathews (Concord, N.H.) collected 14 digs. Rachel Damstra (Houston, Texas) led the team with 33 assists. For the Falcons, Lauren Riccardi (Tewksbury, Mass.) was credited with 13 digs, Jaquelyn Manyak (Bolton, Mass.) dished out eight helpers, and Leah Sheehan (Billerica, Mass.) picked up seven kills.

After a 3-0 loss to MASCAC opponent Framingham State in the first match of the day, the Falcons' overall record moves to 3-15 while their league mark sits at 1-4. Fitchburg State will resume their MASCAC schedule as they head home to host Westfield State on Wednesday, October 23 at 6:00 p.m.

MATCH 2 – Curry 3, Framingham State 2 (25-19, 16-25, 22-25, 27-25, 15-12)

Looking to carry over the momentum from their first match, the Colonels erased an early 6-2 deficit and took a 9-8 lead of their own. The hosting Rams came back to take the lead once again at 14-11, but Curry refused to back down and scored seven straight to make it 18-14. This lead would not be relinquished for the remainder of the set, as the Colonels took it by a score of 25-19.

Looking to tie the match, the Rams again got out to a 6-2 lead, but this time, they did not give it up. The Colonels ran with their hosts throughout the set, but never led. Framingham State made it 24-11 after back-to-back service aces, but Curry broke off a five-point run to prolong the set. However, a kill by Morgan Failla (Providence, R.I.) closed the set 25-16 and knotted the match at one game apiece.

The teams were evenly matched as the third set opened, splitting the first ten points down the middle. However, it would be all Rams from there, as the hosts used a 12-4 run to take a 17-9 advantage. The Colonels forced their opponents to take a timeout after closing the gap to four at 23-19, but an error apiece by each team saw the third set end in favor of the Rams at 25-22, putting Framingham State one set away from the victory.

After weathering a few Curry points to open the fourth frame, the Rams took a slight edge, but built their lead to no more than three as the Colonels worked to avoid dropping the match. Two straight kills by Amanda Wood (Tokyo, Japan) gave the visitors their first lead since 7-6, but a kill by Deirdre Fay (Cornwall, N.Y.) tied the score at 15-all. The teams stayed close, tying once again at 21-21, 23-23, 24-24, and 25-25, but Curry got the job done and forced a fifth set with three straight points to take the set 27-25.

Framingham State took a quick 4-1 lead as the fifth set opened, but it would not amount to much as the Colonels matched their hosts at 5-5. Curry held an 8-6 lead as the teams switched sides of the court, but an attack error brought the Rams to within one at 8-7. Shortly later, with the Colonels still up by a point, a kill by Caroline Kilduff (Rockland, Mass.) put the end in sight at 12-10 before Pereira brought Curry one step closer with a kill of her own. The Rams were far from finished, however, and took a pair of points to cut the edge to 13-12. After a Framingham State service error brought the Colonels to match-point, Damstra once more found Pereira, who drove home a kill to lock up the win at 15-12.

Wood (19) and Periera (16) each turned in double-digit kill totals in the win. Both Colonel setters contributed 10+ assists with Brooke Reissfelder (Biddeford, Maine) leading the way with 30 and Damstra pitching in 18. Three Colonels topped 10 digs in the match in Lex Bell (Salem, Conn., 22), Mathews (16), and Pereira (12). Kilduff secured the front row with five total blocks (4 solo, 1 assisted). Payton Hodson (Somersworth, N.H.) notched a team-high 16 kills for the Rams, while Alyssa Cafarelli (Peoria, Ariz.) held down the defense with 19 digs. Failla rounded out the team leaders by registering a match-high 48 helpers.

Thanks to their victory in the early match, the Rams end the day at 14-10 on the year with a 4-1 MASCAC record. Framingham State will get back to work on Wednesday, as they host conference opponent Salem State at 7:00 p.m. The Colonels will resume action as they host a Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) opponent, the University of New England (UNE), on Tuesday, October 22 at 6:00 p.m. Curry will celebrate their Senior Night as the match marks their final home contest of the regular season.

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