Volleyball Splits Pair of Matches at Hall of Fame Invitational

AMHERST, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University volleyball team split a pair of matches on Saturday during day two of the Hall of Fame Invitaional. The Bears posted a 3-1 win over Westfield State University before dropping a 3-0 decision to host Amherst College.

Bridgewater (12-18) went 2-1 during the two-day invitational.

In the opening match on Saturday, the Bears battled back from a set down to earn the 3-1 victory (22-25, 25-10, 25-20, 28-26) over the Owls of Westfield State.

Senior middle hitter Julie Hutchins (Bellingham, Mass.) paced Bridgewater State with 11 kills, a .500 hitting percentage and a pair of blocks (one solo). Junior middle hitter Sydney Bennett (North Attleboro, Mass.) notched ten kills and three blocks (two solo), while junior outside hitter Hannah Maymon (Narragansett, R.I.) chipped in with 11 kills, two aces, nine digs and a pair of blocks (one solo).

Junior setter Charleyne Panner (Gilford, N.H.) added 36 assists, two aces (including the 100th of her career) and nine digs for the Bears, while senior outside hitter Clara Goncalves (Dennis, Mass.) and junior libero Samantha Fasoli (Sagamore Beach, Mass.) tallied seven kills and 14 digs, respectively.

Junior outside hitter Kelsey Reilly (Shrewsbury, Mass.) led the way for the Owls with 13 kills and freshman outside hitter Karolyn Higgins (Billerica, Mass.) checked in with ten kills. Sophomore setter Brigid Murray (Norfolk, Mass.) dished out 30 assists to go along with two aces and a pair of kills. Freshman libero Lizzie Taylor (Medfield, Mass.) led all players with 19 digs.

In the second match, the Bears were swept by regional power Amherst, 3-0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-15). 

Nicole Gould led all players with 10 kills, while Lizzie Ahern and Lauren Reppert added seven each.

Nicole Carter controlled the offense with 38 assists, and Katie Warshaw and Kate Antion added 14 and 10 digs, respectively.

Bennett and Maymon tallied nine kills apiece to lead the Bears. Maymon also added four digs, two aces and a pair of assisted blocks. Panner checked in with 22 assists, an ace and a kill, while freshman libero Cassidy Tyros (Chelmsford, Mass.) notched 14 digs. Hutchins finished with five assisted blocks and a pair of kills.

Tied at 2-2 early, a kill by Marialexa Natsis gave Amherst the lead and the home team never looked back. After jumping out to a 16-12 advantage, three-straight Bridgewater State points, including a kill and a block by Maymon, cut the deficit to one. Following a Purple & White timeout, a kill by Ahern sparked a 9-2 run as Amherst went ahead in the match, 1-0.

After trailing 2-1 early in game two, Amherst scored 19 of the next 23 points to take a commanding 20-6 lead. The Bears went on a run of its own down the stretch, but it was too little too late as an attack error by the visitor's sealed the set.

The Bears led 10-7 in the third set following a Panner kill and ace. Bridgewater maintained the advantage and held an 11-9 lead after an Amherst attacking error. However, with six-straight points, the Purple & White pulled ahead and eventually won by a comfortable margin of 25-15.

Panner moved past Kassie Moore (2,300 assists) into third place on the Bears' all-time assist list as she now has 2,318 in her career.

In upcoming action, the Bears travel to Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) MCLA. The match marks the regular season finale for both teams.