Volleyball Suffers Setback at Home to Framingham State

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) volleyball team fell at home against the visiting Rams of Framingham State University (FSU), 3-0, Tuesday night inside James A. Calhoun Gymnasium. With the result, the Blue Jays drop to 0-8 on the season while the Rams move to 4-2.

KEY MOMENTS 

• After the Rams opened the match on a 3-0 stretch, the Blue Jays fought back, using a 5-2 run, featuring a kill from senior right-side hitter Claire Quinn (Canton, Mass.) and an ace from freshman outside hitter Shaye Harris (Prospect, Conn.) to tie the first set at 5-5.
• FSU would not be deterred though, jumping out to a four-point edge, 12-8.
• USJ continued to fight, pulling back within one, 15-14, after a 3-0 run was capped of by a graduate student setter Nicole Albert (Meriden, Conn.) ace.
• However, the Rams would not allow USJ to get any closer, winning the opening set 25-18.
• The Rams carried the momentum into the second set, jumping out to a 6-3 edge.
• USJ would pull it back within two, 6-4, after a kill from senior middle blocker Victoria Adler (Berlin, Conn.), but a timely 8-0 FSU run allowed the visitors to break open a 10-point lead, 17-7.
• Senior libero Fernanda Ayala Rodriguez (San Juan, Puerto Rico) brought the hosts within eight, 18-10 after a service ace, but the Rams continued to pull away, taking the second set 25-13 and a 2-0 edge in the match.
• FSU dominated the opening stanza of the third set, establishing a 10-2 edge.
• USJ would not go down easy though, exploding for a 8-2 stretch to close the deficit to three, 15-12, after kills from Harris, Ayala Rodriguez and an ace from Albert.
• The Blue Jays continued to claw their way back into the set, closing the gap to one, 19-18, after a 3-0 stretch featuring a kill from junior outside hitter Rachel Heaney (Torrington, Conn.).
• However, FSU would squash any hopes of a comeback attempt, winning the third set 25-19 and the match, 3-0.

NOTES 

• Heaney and Quinn paced the USJ offense with five kills each.
• Sophomore setter Alexandra Long (East Hartford, Conn.) racked up 15 assists on the night. The tally marks the fourth time this season Long reached 10 or more assists.
• Ayala Rodriguez recorded nine digs to lead the Blue Jays.
• The Rams hit .247 percent on the night.
• With the result FSU increased its winning streak to eight-matches and holds a 8-0 lead in the all-time series.

UP NEXT

The Blue Jays quickly return to the court, heading east to intrastate foe Connecticut College tomorrow, Wednesday, September 13 for a non-conference matchup. First serve against the Camels inside Luce Filed House in New London, Conn. is set for 6:30 p.m.

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