Volleyball Sweep Past Worcester , 3-0

By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University volleyball team remained perfect in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Saturday afternoon.

The Bears scored a 3-0 victory over Worcester State University at the Tinsley Center for their sixth shutout win of the season.

BSU prevailed over the Lancers (7-17, 3-3 MASCAC) by scores of 25-13, 25-16 and 26-23.

The Bears remain on top of the conference standings with a 5-0 record, lead the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (5-1) by a half-game.

Westfield State University (4-1) was a game behind prior to a 5 p.m. match against the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

Junior Lily Welch (Hanson, Mass.) had 12 digs and 11 kills for BSU while junior Ava Crane (Dartmouth, Mass.) contributed 17 digs and eight kills.

Junior Xin Ai Robinson (Kaiserslautern, Germany) had 19 assists while sophomore Natalie Fredriksen (Plymouth, Mass.) chipped in with 11 assists.

Sophomore Charlotte Sullivan (Hyannis, Mass.) had seven kills, six digs and a .357 hitting percentage while senior Kim Gowell (Durham, N.H.) contributed seven kills and had a .389 hitting percentage.

Senior Meghan Coutu (Brookline, N.H.) also had seven kills and five digs in the win.

For Worcester State, sophomore Beatrice Gamboa-Estrella (Simi Valley, Calif.) had 10 digs and seven kills while senior Cassidy D'Esposito (Medford, N.Y.) had nine kills and three digs.

BSU had a 43-26 edge in kills, 117-113 in attacks, 34-22 in assists and .265-.088 in hitting percentage.

Worcester State led, 5-3, to start the first set before a Welch kill helped the Bears take their first lead, 6-5.

After the Lancers went up, 11-9, BSU scored five straight points, three on attack errors, for a 14-11 edge.

The Bears were up, 14-12, when they scored 10 points in a row, getting two kills each from Welch and Coutu. A service error brought the set to an end.

BSU took a 10-4 lead early in the second set, with Gowell and Crane playing key roles. After the Lancers trailed, 11-6, the Bears went ahead, 14-6, Sullivan chipping in with two kills.

Worcester State was as close as 14-9 and 18-13 before BSU scored four points in a row.

A kill by Gowell was the final point of the set.

The Lancers held a 6-5 lead in the third set before BSU opened a 15-9 edge, getting kills by Crane and Sullivan and an ace from Robinson.

Worcester State rallied to tie it at 18 with the Bears taking a timeout after a service error and attack error.

There were ties at 19, 21, 22 and 23 before a service error and attack error enabled the Bears to close out the match.

BSU travels to Salem State for a 6 p.m. match on Wednesday while Worcester State will host Fitchburg State on Wednesday at 6 p.m.