LEICESTER, Mass. – The Bridgewater State University volleyball team opened the 2019 season with a split of a tri-match split hosted by Becker College on a Saturday afternoon at Leicester Gymnasium.
The Bears swept the opener against Mount Holyoke College, 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-21), and dropped a 3-1 decision (17-25, 25-15, 25-21, 25-14) to host Becker.
The win over Mount Holyoke marked the first collegiate coaching victory for BSU first-year head coach Tony DaSilveira.
Junior setter Casey Holmes (Norton, Mass.) paced the Bears in the 3-0 victory over the Lyons with six kills, a .500 hitting percentage, 16 assists, five aces, four digs and one solo block. BSU junior middle hitter Sydney Rice (Medway, Mass.) checked in with 11 kills, six aces and four digs, while junior outside hitter Gabryella Serrano (Bridgewater, Mass.) notched six kills, three aces and three digs.
Sophomore right side Becca Whalen (Plymouth, Mass.) added five kills and a .714 hitting percentage for the Bears. Freshman setter Savannah Quintal (Assonet, Mass.) contributed 12 assists, eight digs and an ace, while junior outside hitter Abigail Gardner (Holden, Mass.) registered six kills and six digs.
The Bears posted a .261 team hitting percentage and finished the match with 16 aces. The Lyons tallied ten aces and a .241 hitting percentage.
Senior middle hitter Sasha Simine (Kitchener, Ontario) led the way for Mount Holyoke with 11 kills and a .588 hitting percentage. Freshman setter Alexandra Keough (Endicott, N.Y.) and junior setter Brayden Walden (McKinney, Texas) notched 13 assists apiece.
In the 3-1 setback to Becker, Rice registered 14 kills and a .487 hitting percentage to go along with two aces, seven digs and three blocks (one solo). Holmes added four kills, 18 assists, one ace, seven digs and a pair of assisted blocks, while Quintal posted 18 assists, two aces and three digs.
Junior defensive specialist Maggie Czarniak (Kingston, Mass.) added four kills, three aces, six digs and two assisted block for the Bears, while Gardner tallied six kills, two aces, 13 digs and an assisted block, Serrano notched six kills, two aces, ten digs and an assisted block, and Whalen recorded seven kills and two assisted blocks.
Senior right side Morgan Gould (North Attleboro, Mass.) led Becker to the victory as she tallied 15 kills, a .519 hitting percentage and four aces. Freshman outside hitter Teddie Flynn (Amesbury, Mass.) added 13 kills and an ace for the hosts while sophomore setter Jenna Savoie (Charlton, Mass.) and senior setter Olivia McGuinness (Colchester, Conn.) combined for 35 assists.
The Hawks posted a .235 hitting percentage and limited the Bears to a .175 mark. Becker recorded 15 aces and just two serving errors in the match, while Bridgewater State finished with as many aces (13) as serving errors (13).
In upcoming action, the Bears (1-1) host Lasell College on Wednesday evening at six o'clock.