Volleyball Drops 3-0 Decision to Emmanuel

BOSTON, Mass. -- Emmanuel College swept visiting Bridgewater State University, 3-0 (29-27, 25-16, 25-23), in a non-conference volleyball match on Tuesday evening at the Jean Yawkey Center Gymnasium.

The Bears opened the match with four straight points, thanks in part to a pair of aces from junior setter Bethany Votta (Cumberland, R.I.), to jump out to a 4-0 lead before the Saints answered to even the score at 4-4 on an ace by junior outside hitter Sasha Hyacinthe (Stoughton, Mass.). BSU remained in control through much of the action, and a 4-0 run on an ace by freshman right side Meaghan Coutu (Brookline, N.H.), a kill by freshman outside hitter Kim Gowell (Durham, N.H.) and two Emmanuel errors made it 23-18 in favor of the visitors. The Saints regrouped and closed out the set strong, spoiling three set-points to rally for the 29-27 win on an ace by freshman outside hitter Wiktoria Galazyn (Plainville, Conn.).

The visitors held an early lead in set two at 5-4, but three straight points by Emmanuel gave the hosts the lead for good as the Saints cruised to a 25-16 win. The Saints limited the Bears to a -.129 hitting percentage in the frame (5-9-31) to build a 2-0 lead on the match.

Bridgewater engineered a 20-15 lead in the third set on the strength of three kills and an ace by Gowell as well as a pair of kills from Coutu. Out of a timeout, Emmanuel rattled off eight consecutive points behind the service game of senior outside hitter Kerry Shea (Tewksbury, Mass.) to put the hosts in the driver seat. Shea recorded three aces during the run. An ace by freshman middle hitter Alexis Starks (Milford, Mass.) and a kill by Gowell helped the Bears pull to within one at 24-23, but Galazyn closed out the set and the match with a kill.

Shea and junior middle blocker Seana Philipps (Middleboro, Mass.) recorded a match-high nine kills in the win. Shea added four aces and five digs. EC senior libero Tatiana Correia (Peabody, Mass.) posted a team-high 14 digs and senior setter Rachel Coleman (Peabody, Mass.) added 23 assists, seven digs and four aces.

Gowell led Bridgewater State with a team-best eight kills to go along with an ace, while Votta netted 13 assists, two kills, two aces and six digs. Junior libero Victoria Caiano (Acushnet, Mass.) and senior defensive specialist Alicia Delaney (Brockton, Mass.) chipped in with 12 and ten digs, respectively. Caiano added four assists and an ace. Starks finished the evening with three aces, a pair of kills and an assisted block.

Emmanuel returns to action on Thursday, October 6 traveling to Rivier University for a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) tilt scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM in Nashua, N.H. BSU is idle until Saturday, October 8 when the Bears travel to Paxton, Mass. for a tri-match featuring host Anna Maria as well as a rematch against Emmanuel beginning at 11:00 AM.