Volleyball Opens MASCAC Play with 3-0 Win over Fitchburg

Volleyball Opens MASCAC Play with 3-0 Win over Fitchburg

Fitchburg, Mass. – The visiting Bridgewater State University volleyball team posted a 3-0 victory over Fitchburg State University in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) match-up on Tuesday night at the Recreation Center. The match marked the MASCAC opener for both teams.

The Bears improve to 2-7 on the season and 1-0 in the  MASCAC), while the host Falcons fall to 1-4 overall and 0-1 in conference play.

Junior Kayla Baril (Seekonk, Mass.) had a match-high 12 kills to go along with nine digs, three assists and four aces to pace the Bears. BSU junior Cassidy Tyros (Chelmsford, Mass.) had nine digs on the night, leaving her three shy of 1,000 for her career.

Bridgewater State opened with a 25-14 first set victory, highlighted by five kills from Baril, before the Falcons edged closer in the second. In the second set, Fitchburg knotted the score at 11 and trailed 20-19 after a tandem block from juniors Annie Woolley (Malden, Mass.) and Nicole Sylvester (Everett, Mass.). A kill by BSU junior Elizabeth Roberts (Swansea, Mass.) and four FSU errors, however, pushed the Bears over the top. Tied 7-all in the third set, the Bears railed off nine straight points with sophomore Shannon Grindle (Halifax., Mass.) serving en-route to the 25-17 final.

The Bears recorded 12 aces in the match led by Baril's four and three from junior Alyssa Kelley (Mansfield, Mass.).

Freshman Lauren Riccardi (Tewksbury, Mass) posted a team-high five kills to pace the Falcons. Senior Serene Pease (Ashland, Mass.) generated nine digs, while junior Kristina Osborne (Ashby, Mass.) contributed eight digs to go along with three services aces and two kills.

The match marked the 19th meeting between the two teams as the Bears hold a decided 16-3 advantage in the all-time series. It is also the first time the two squads have meet on the volleyball court since October 19, 2002 in which the Falcons dropped a 3-0 decision to the Bears.

The Falcons return to action on Thursday night when they travel to Dean College for a 7:00pm match. Bridgewater hosts UMass Dartmouth at 6:00pm on the same evening.​