Volleyball defeats Curry in 3-set sweep
By Taylor Kimmell Sports Editor In a home game Sept. 19, the Framingham State University Rams defeated the Curry College Colonels. With this 3-0 sweep, FSU’s overall record is 7-3, earning the team the top spot in the MASCAC coming into their first conference matches this week. The Rams put their first points on the board as Curry struggled to find their initial footing, unable to return the ball over the net. The Colonels tied the match on the next point, but FSU secured the next three, earning a point on a kill by Captain Natalie Reynolds, a senior, and two points on attack errors. Curry broke through for a few more points before the Rams regained momentum with kills by Captain Jamie Moniz, a senior, and freshman McKenzie Kastner, and several forced errors to bring the score to 12-5. A kill by Curry’s Morgan Kramer set the team on a hot streak, allowing them to score 7 consecutive points to tie up the score. Kills by Kastner and senior Emma Dobbins reset the Rams’ tempo. Despite two breakthroughs by the Colonels, FSU maintained steady offensive pressure, with points tallied on kills by Reynolds and senior Jaimee Lowe, as well as service aces from Lowe and sophomore Kristina Santiago-Alers. Due to a kill by Kastner and several forced attack errors, the Rams continued to rally for the remainder of the set, steadily climbing toward a 25-20 victory. Framingham’s slow start in the next set allowed Curry to accumulate an early 6-0 lead, but a Dobbins kill interrupted the streak. The Colonels’ lead increased to 9-1, but, with several forced attack errors by the Rams’ defense and kills by Reynolds and Kastner, FSU began to catch up. Framingham took a 14-11 lead with kills by Moniz, Dobbins, two by Kastner, and a service ace by Reynolds. The Rams continued to dominate on offense and defense, tallying points on kills by Kastner, Lowe, and Reynolds, and forcing several attack errors from Curry, one credited to a block by Reynolds and Kastner, to bring the score to 20-16. Despite taking a much needed time out, the Colonels failed to find their footing. FSU took advantage, going on a 5-point streak with a forced error, two kills by Reynolds, both assisted by junior Madysen Cedrone, and a pair of service aces by senior Anneli DiVirgillio, ending the second set 25-16. Dobbins, Reynolds, and Santiago-Alers led the Rams in a successful opening to the third set, earning points on two kills and a service ace, respectively. The teams traded errors, and the Colonels put up a kill and two service aces to tie the score at 4-4. The following set started a 9-point run for FSU, instigated by another Reynolds kill. Lowe followed with three more kills, and DiVirgillio contributed with another pair of service aces. After the Rams forced two attack errors from Curry, they led the game 13-4. Another Curry timeout yielded two more kills from the team, but the Rams refused to let up, scoring 4 points on kills by Reynolds and Kastner and two forced attack errors. The Colonels attempted to close the gap, scoring on a kill, a service ace, and a Rams error. Kastner, however, broke their momentum with a kill assisted by Cedrone, which led into a streak of defensive success that earned FSU 3 points on Curry errors. Curry scored on two kills and a service ace, bringing the score to 21-13, still in favor of Framingham. Junior Sarah Medeiros kickstarted the Rams’ final scoring streak with a Cedrone-assisted kill. A service ace by Lowe followed on the next volley, then a Curry attack error, and finally, a match-winning kill by Kastner, securing a 25-13 victory for FSU. Kastner said, “Curry was a very scrappy team, and they were able to keep balls alive for a long time. Longer rallies are harder to end, and they give the winning team more momentum, so having a lot of points like that was difficult. “I think we were able to capitalize on big swings and tooling the block, since Curry was able to get softer driven balls up,” she added. Lowe said, “I think we made some unforced errors that kept Curry in the game, but once we focused on the weak spots of their defense and [on] our strengths, we were able to go on runs and shut them down.” Reynolds said when playing out-of-conference teams like Curry, it is important to “make sure we play our game and stay clean, competitive, and aggressive. “Our blocking at the net was very on today. Shutting teams down offensively plays a big part for us in winning sets,” she added. Following Curry, the Rams have played 10 matches so far this season, tallying seven wins already. Lowe said, “We've played a lot of difficult teams that have challenged us, making us better. We work hard all the time to make sure we are ready for MASCAC play.” Kastner said, “A good number of the games that we've played so far have been high-level competition where we got to play against teams with skills that we don't see very often. Playing games like this has physically and mentally prepared us for conference play.” The Rams fought hard for their first conference win, securing a 3-2 victory at Worcester State. Their current record of 1-0 in the conference and 8-3 overall has FSU ranked at the top of the MASCAC. In the MASCAC preseason poll, Framingham was projected to finish third out of the conference’s eight teams. Lowe said this ranking underestimated the Rams’ capabilities on the court. She said, “We have a great group of girls playing this year, and we are going to keep our eye on our end goal and work as hard as possible to get there.” Reynolds added, “Last year, we made it to the championship. This season, our goal is to be back there again and win it. We beat out the seed ahead of us to make it to the championship last year, so I have a feeling we’ll be back in the same spot again this year.” Lowe said she is hoping for a championship victory and a trip to the NCAA tournament to end her final season with FSU. “Aside from that, the girls on this team are amazing teammates and people in general, so the relationships I've made with these girls is something I will never forget.” Reynolds said, “We’ve got a great group of girls - seven freshmen and five seniors. We have a big group graduating and a really big group just starting. Everyone gets along great - the team chemistry is awesome. It’s been very fun to play together.” Kastner said, “The best part about playing with Framingham so far has been bonding with the team on and off the court. They've made the experience so much fun, and even the parts that aren't fun, they've made enjoyable. I'm really excited to start conference play and see how far we can make it as a team.” The Rams host Salem State for their second conference matchup of the season Sept. 26.
