Owls Chase Bears On Homecoming

WESTFIELD, Mass. –Westfield State University picked up a conference win and split the tri-match in women's volleyball action on Saturday, Oct. 16 in the Woodward Center. Elms swept both games in straight sets and Bridgewater dropped a pair.

The Owls move to 5-17 (4-1 MASCAC), Bridgewater State falls to 6-8 (3-2 MASCAC) and Elms improves to 14-6.

Game 1: Bridgewater State 2, Westfield State 3 (18-25, 21-25, 25-19, 25-16, 15-12)

Westfield State dropped the first two sets in the opener, before rallying for the five-set win.

Senior middle hitter Ashley Crowley (Billerica, Mass.) led the way for the Owls with a match-high 15 kills to go along with ten digs and three blocks (one solo). Sophomore outside hitter Bridgette McAndrews (Longmeadow, Mass.) added 13 kills, four aces and nine digs, while senior outside hitter Shawna Crowley (Billerica, Mass.) filled the stat sheet with 11 kills, one assist, an ace, seven digs and a pair of assisted blocks. Sophomore setter Julia Dangel-Garcia (Ashland, Mass.) dished out a match-best 42 assists and also contributed three kills, four aces and ten digs. Senior libero Jess Haradon (Mansfield, Mass.) rounded out the Westfield stat leaders with 29 digs, three assists and an ace.

Senior right side hitter Becca Whalen (Plymouth, Mass.) and sophomore middle hitter Amber Arruda (Swansea, Mass.) paced Bridgewater State with 14 kills apiece in the loss to Westfield. Whalen also added five assisted block and Arruda notched a pair of assisted blocks. Junior libero Victoria Caiano (Acushnet, Mass.) checked in with a match-best 31 digs as well as four assists and an ace, while junior setter Savannah Quintal (Assonet, Mass.) tallied 25 assists to go along with an ace and eight digs. Sophomore setter Bethany Votta (Cumberland, R.I.) added 20 assists and three aces for the Bears who also received 11 kills from sophomore outside hitter Abigail Reardon (Fairhaven, Mass.).

Game 2: Elms 3, Bridgewater State 0 (25-17, 28-26, 25-16)

Elms dominated the service line in a straight set win over Bridgewater posting a 15-4 advantage in aces.

The Blazers were led by Alanys Cruz Diaz (Humacao, P.R.) and Natalia Caraballo Rivera (Fajardo, P.R.) who both registered double-digit kills, 13 and 11 respectively. Diaz added five aces and Rivera landed four. Kianna Lozada controlled the defense for the Blazers picking up 18 digs. Senior setter Govanna Rosado (Humacao, P.R.) connected for 35 assists, three kills and two aces.

Sydney Rice (Medway, Mass.) emerged as Bridgewater's offensive leader in the setback with 11 kills. Whalen remained hot in the second match picking up another eight kills. Quintal chipped in 17 assists, three aces and seven digs. Votta had eleven assists and five digs for the Bears, Caiano had a team-high eight digs. Senior Gabryella Serrano (Bridgewater, Mass.) registered five kills and seven digs.

Game 3: Elms 3, Westfield State 0 (25-17, 25-8, 25-15)

Elms kept the momentum rolling in the final game of the day with a decisive 3-0 victory over the hosts.

Diaz posted another double- digit kill total (10) and Sabrina Christie (Agawam, MA) added nine kills, two digs and three block assists for the Blazers. Lozada and Rosada matched game-high digs with 12. Rosado coordinated the offense with 28 assists. The Blazers continued their dominance on the service line adding another 13 aces, finishing the day with 28 in six sets.

Kerry Greenough (Charlton, Mass.) got the start at setter for the Owls and dished out 12 assists. Madi Hurlburt (Dalton, Mass.) led the Owls with 11 digs. Ashley Crowley and Sarah Bingham (Reno, Nev.) each had three solo blocks at the net in the setback.

The MASCAC schedule continues for both Bridgewater State and Westfield State next Wednesday. The Bears travel o Framingham State University for a six o'clock match with the Rams, while the Owls entertain the Trailblazers of MCLA at seven. The Blazers head to Norwich University also on Wednesday to take on the Cadets in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) match at six o'clock.