Volleyball Finishes 1-3 at 31st Annual Crabtree Classic

WILLIMANTIC, Conn. -- The Bridgewater State University volleyball team dropped a pair of matches to Worcester State University and University of New England as the Bears finished 1-3 at the 31st Annual Crabtree Classic hosted by Eastern Connecticut State University.

Bridgewater dropped a 3-1 decision to Worcester State (25-11, 26-24, 22-25, 25-18) in their opening match on Saturday.  The Bears (8-13) were then swept by the University of New England, 3-0 (25-16, 25-19, 25-13).

Sophomore Melanie Appleman (Hyannis, Mass.) paced the Bears with 23 assists, 12 digs, three kills and one ace in the loss to Worcester.  Fellow sophomore Tayler Beck (Marion, Mass.) added nine kills while classmate Michelle Atkins (Chelsea, Mass.) notched six kills and six blocks (four solo).  

Appleman registered 11 assists, three kills and four digs in the loss to UNE.  Beck tallied seven kills and two blocks, while sophomore Chelsea Correia (East Falmouth, Mass.) added ten digs and a pair of aces.

Sophomore Shayna Carmichael (Westport, Mass.), who posted six blocks (four solo) against Worcester, finished with seven solo blocks versus UNE.

Host Eastern Connecticut captured the Crabtree Classic title with a perfect 4-0 mark over the two-day tournament.  UNE went 3-1 at the tournament to finish as the runner-up. Bridgewater, Worcester and Wheaton College all tied for th third place as they each went 1-3.

BSU sophomore Kristen Robillard (Swansea, Mass.) earned All-Tournament honors as she averaged 18.25 digs in the Bears' four matches and recorded five aces.