Volleyball Rallies for 3-2 MASCAC Win Over Westfield

By Jim Fenton

WESTFIELD, Mass. -- Another trip to western Massachusetts and another stunning comeback victory for the Bridgewater State University volleyball team.

The Bears overcame a 2-0 deficit, winning three straight sets to stun Westfield State University, 3-2, on Saturday afternoon.

It was the exact same scenario that unfolded last Nov. 16 when BSU came from behind for a 3-2 victory over the host Owls to win the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament championship, its first since 2008.

This time, the Bears dropped the first two sets, 23-25 and 16-25. They stayed alive with a 26-24 win and forced a fifth set with a 25-19 victory.

In the decisive set, BSU never trailed and stopped the Owls, 15-11.

The victory gives the Bears an 8-3 record, including 2-0 in the MASCAC. Westfield State falls to 6-8 and 1-1 after having a five-game winning streak stopped.

Double-doubles were recorded by juniors Ava Crane (Dartmouth, Mass.) and Lily Welch (Hanson, Mass.).

Crane had 17 kills and 14 digs to go along with five aces and a pair of blocks (one solo) while Welch contributed 14 kills and 13 digs as well as a pair of assisted blocks.

Junior Xin Ai Robinson (Kaiserslautern, Germany) had 31 assists and six digs while sophomore Natalie Fredriksen (Plymouth, Mass.) added 22 assists.

Senior Meaghan Coutu (Brookline, N.H.) had 13 kills for the Bears, and sophomore Charlotte Sullivan (Hyannis, Mass.) checked in with six kills, three aces and three assisted blocks.

Senior Emily Washkalavitch (Oxford, Pa.) had 16 kills and nine digs for the Owls while senior Morgan Dority (Walpole, Mass.) added 31 assists.

BSU had a 62-51 edge in kills, a 60-47 advantage in assists and led in hitting percentage, .271-.218. The Owls had the slight edge in attacks, 144-142.

The Bears moved to a 4-2 lead in the first set with Coutu getting two kills, but Washkalavitch sparked a 9-3 run that put the Owls up, 11-7.

BSU was down as many as five before pulling within 18-17 behind senior Kim Gowell (Durham, N.H.) and Frederiksen.

Kills by Crane and Sullivan cut Westfield State's lead to 23-22, but the Owls scored two of the final three points.

BSU trailed, 6-2, to open the second set but used five kills to make it 9-9, Welch getting two of them.

Two attack errors helped the Owls go up, 15-10, and BSU was down, 19-13. The Bears managed to get within 19-15, only to have Westfield State score four points in a row before a service error gave it a 2-0 set lead.

BSU held a 9-5 lead early in the third set and was up, 12-8, with Welch contributing a kill.

The lead was 17-13 after two kills by Crane, but the Owls moved within 18-17.

Westfield State pulled even at 23, but a Crane kill gave the Bears the lead back and kills by senior Alexis Starks (Milford, Mass.) and Crane won the set.

In the fourth set, BSU took a 7-2 lead, getting kills from Crane, Coutu and Welch, and had a 12-7 lead.

Westfield State sliced the margin to 14-12 and a kill by Washkalavitch tied it at 16.

The Bears ran off six points in a row, getting two Welch kills and one from Coutu, plus a Sullivan ace.

The Owls were as close as 23-19, but Gowell and Couto finished the set with kills.

BSU took a 7-3 lead in the fifth set, Crane providing two aces. After the margin was trimmed to 8-6, a Coutu kill helped the Bears go up, 12-7.

Westfield State was down, 12-10, but two attack errors put the Bears ahead, 14-10. After a BSU service error, Welch finished the match with a kill.

The Bears are again on the road Thursday, playing Anna Maria at 6 p.m.

Westfield State plays on Wednesday at 7 p.m., hosting Salem State.