Volleyball drops tough five setter to Framingham in MASCAC opener

Courtesy of Framingham State Sports Information

Framingham, Mass. – The Framingham State University volleyball team defeated MCLA 3-2 tonight in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action at the Athletic Center.

With the win, the Rams improve to 2-5 on the season and are now 1-0 in the league, while the Trailblazers fall to 2-6 overall and 0-1 in the MASCAC.

MCLA took the first set 25-21 before the Rams captured the next two, 25-17 and 25-20. MCLA came from behind to secure the fourth, 25-22, and send the game to a fifth set.

The Rams opened up an 8-2 lead in the fifth, before the Trailblazers closed the gap 11-8. The Rams extended the lead back to 14-8 with three straight points, but the Trailblazers closed to within two on an ace.  Freshman Grace Caughey (Mendon, Mass.) came up with a kill to secure the match for the Rams.

Freshman Kelly Brinkman (Gardiner, NY) led the Rams with a match-high 18 kills and six digs, while sophomore Deirdre Fay (Cornwall, NY) added 10 kills and 15 digs.  Caughey finished the match with nine kills, 18 digs and five service aces. The Rams defense was led by a match-high 27 digs from senior Vicki Anderson (Attleboro, Mass.), while junior Mackenzie Whalen (Norton, Mass.) added 16 digs and 41 set assists.

The Trailblazers were led by 13 kills and two blocks from junior Brianna O'Rourke (Piseco, NY), while sophomore Brooke Queripel (Palmer, AK) added eight kills and 13 digs.  Senior Mele Enomoto (Wailuki, HI) led the back row with 22 digs, while sophomore Tessa Sestito (Corona, CA) added 12 digs and 16 assists.

The Rams are back in action at home tonight when they entertain Elms College at 7 p.m., while the Trailblazers head to the Union/Sage Crosstown Tournament this weekend with two matches on Friday and two on Saturday.