Falcons Sail Past Buccaneers

Fitchburg, Mass. – The Fitchburg State women's volleyball team soared past the visiting Buccaneers of Massachusetts Maritime Academy 3-0 in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action at Parkinson Gymnasium on Tuesday evening.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 3, MMA 0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-21)
Records: Fitchburg State (4-13, 1-5 MASCAC) | MMA (3-14, 0-6 MASCAC)

How It Happened

Knotted at 4-all in the first set, Mass. Maritime countered with kills from Audrey Manning (Hanover, Mass) and Marlo Stark (Groton, Conn.) to take a 7-4 advantage. Led by Emily Gelinas (Westfield, Mass.), the Green and Gold reeled off six straight to even the match at 12-12. The visitors extended the lead to 18-14 with an ace from Manning. Trailing 22-20, the Falcon outmatched the Buccaneers with a 5-0 run capped by an ace from Catherine Goodearl (Marstons Mills, Mass.) to take game one.

In another back-and-forth set, Mass. Maritime raced to an 8-5 score in game two. The hosts counted with an ace from senior Meredith Taylor (Reading, Mass.) and a kill from Gelinas to trail 11-10. Midway through the frame, the Green and Gold scored five unanswered points, including a pair of kills from rookie Stephanie Sardella (Billerica, Mass.) to take the lead (16-14) they wouldn't relinquish. Mass. Maritime scored four points late, including a kill from Shayla Narodowg (Wellington, CO), but a kill from Samantha Mirra (Burlington, Mass.) closed out the set.

The Falcons opened the third set with kills from Sardella, Mirra, and Sariah Dyer (Raynham, Mass.) to take the early lead (3-2). Stark posted a duo of kills for the Bucs to cut the deficit to 10-7. However, the Green and Gold poured on the offense to grab an 18-9 lead. MMA rebounded with a 12-4 run to make it a game (22-21). Narodowg added three kill and an ace in MMA's run. The Falcons added a kill from Mirra and a pair of defensive miscues from Mass. Maritime to close out the match.

Inside the Numbers

• Gelinas collected 19 assists, with 9 digs, 10 kills and 2 aces, while Sardella added 17 digs and 6 kills for the Falcons.
• Mirra added 10 kills, an ace, and 12 digs for the Green and Gold.
• Stark finished with 5 kills and 11 digs, while Keira Whalen (Philadelphia, PA) had a team-high 13 assists and 10 digs for MMA.
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Up Next

Falcons are back in action on Friday afternoon when they host Bay Path College in their annual Dig Pink game. First serve is at 4:00 PM.