Worcester, MA- The Worcester State Volleyball fell to Roger Williams and Brandeis on Saturday afternoon. Falling to Roger Williams 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-19) and Brandeis 3-0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-15).
In the first game versus the Hawks, the Lancers were led by Megan Bardis, with 14 assists, and Angela Colonis with 9 assists. Worcester State held a 20-16 lead in the first set after a strong team performance by Gabby Alberghini before the Hawks answered with five straight points of their own and eventually pushing a 22-22 tie. The set eventually went to Roger Williams after they managed to snag three quick points to close it out.
The second set was close all afternoon with the Lancer staying one step ahead of Roger Williams with Bardis in solid form through the set. Service errors and missed receptions slowed down the Lancers allowing the Hawks to regain the lead at 20 points apiece. Colonis attempted to get Worcester State back on track with a beautiful kill but Roger Williams had found their rhythm and closed out the set with three unanswered.
In what would turn out to be the final set, the Hawks jumped out to an early 12-4 lead. The Lancers did battle it back to close the gap to 22-18, but the Hawks dug deep and managed to hold on for a 25-19 third set finish and take home the match.
In the second match of the night the Lancers took on the hosts Brandeis University, giving the toughest match of the tournament, falling 3-0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-15).
Brandies jumped out to early leads in all three sets and never trailed in the afternoon, capitalizing on a number of unforced errors by the Lancers, but Worcester State hung tight, closing the gap to just three points in the first set before the Judges went on a 13-5 run. Camaryn Burgio and Erin Gaffney worked to close down the gap in the final points but Brandeis was able to squeeze the last two points past Worcester State to claim the set.
The second set was a back-and-forth battle with a strong defensive presence by Worcester State, keeping the set within 5 points as they capitalized off a number of errors from Brandeis. The Judges managed to settle themselves at the end of the second and while Cassandra Millea tried to extend the set off a service error by Brandeis with a beautiful kill, the Judges Anna Ertischek grabbed two quick kills to close it out.
The final set of the match saw the Judges jump out early but the Lancers battled it out in the middle set with points being traded back and forth, until a final run pushed Brandeis to 25 to close out the match.
Worcester State falls to 0-3 on the young season after a competitive weekend and they will be back in action on Tuesday when they travel to take on Regis College at 6pm.