Falcons Defeated by Fisher in Straight Sets

Fitchburg, Mass. – The Fitchburg State women's volleyball team dropped a 3-0 match to the visiting Falcons of Fisher College in non-conference action at Parkinson Gymnasium on Tuesday evening.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 0, Fisher 3 (25-18, 25-15, 25-18)
Records: Fitchburg State (3-9) | Fisher (13-5)

How It Happened 

• Trailing 5-2 early in match one, Fitchburg State reeled off a 7-1 run to forge ahead 9-6. Freshman Stephanie Sardella (Billerica, Mass.) had three aces, and Samantha Mirra added a pair of kills in the streak. On the serve of senior Ashly Velazquez- (Downey, Calif.) Fisher responded with nine unanswered points.  A kill from Mirra and a block from rookie Gabrielle Griffiths (Bedford, Mass.) cut the deficit to 18-12 for the Green and Gold. Sophomore Paola Velazquez (Caguas, Puerto Rico) delivered an ace for the visitors for a 21-14 lead and closed out the game on a hosts' defensive miscue.\
• Fisher raced out to a 7-0 lead in the second match, senior Macy Barnes (Duarte, Calif.) picked up four kills in the run. Fitchburg State countered with a pair of kills from Sardella and a block from Emily Gelinas (Westfield, Mass.) to make the score 17-8. The teams traded points down the stretch, and Fisher finished on a kill from Aya Al-Juraishi (Walnut, Calif.).
• Knotted at 3-3 in the third set, the visitors rallied on the serve of sophomore Edsyl Irizzary (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) to take a 7-3 advantage. The Green and Gold battled back with an ace from Mirra, and back-to-back kills from Sardella and Sariah Dyer (Raynham, Mass.) to even the score at 11-11. Fisher extended their lead to 17-11, capped by the ace from Velazquez. However, the hosts countered on the strong serve of Gelinas to keep the game close (17-15), but a kill from Al-Juraishi sealed the victory for the visiting Falcons.

Inside the Numbers 

• Senior Meredith Taylor (Reading, Mass.) had 11 assists, an ace, and 7 digs, while Gelinas added 15 helpers, 6 digs, a kill, and an ace.
• Sardella added 10 kills, 4 aces, and 15 digs
• Rookie Sydney Nortelus (North Billerica, Mass) had a team-high 16 digs for FSU
• Irizarry led both teams with 18 digs, while Paola Velazquez chipped in with 18 assists, 6 digs, and 5 aces.

 Up Next

Falcons are back in action on Saturday afternoon when they travel to Curry for an 11:00 AM match.