By Izabela Gage Asst. Sports Editor Framingham State Volleyball hosted a doubleheader against Western New England University and Elms College Sept. 7. The Rams unfortunately lost in three straight sets to the WNE Golden Bears with scores of 25-14, 25-12, and 25-15. Framingham State tallied 18 kills, with middle hitters Natalie Reynolds and Sabrina Stadelman totaling seven and six kills, respectively. Outside hitter Jaimee Lowe totaled five kills. Stella Bailey, a setter, racked up 19 assists. Captain Carly Beaulieu defended the back row with 12 digs, and Lowe contributed with nine of her own. Lowe said the team is “keeping the mindset to push each other and work hard to get the MASCAC champion title again.” “We're improving our consistency - that’s the name of the game for us right now,” said Bailey. The Rams came back for redemption against the Elms Blazers and swept them with scores of 25-12, 25-22, and 25-14. Reynolds stayed consistent with 10 kills on 19 attempts for a hitting percentage of .421. Outside hitter Sarah Medeiros supported and tallied eight kills on 16 attempts with only one error for a .438 attack percentage. Lowe supported the team with another four kills. Defensive specialist Anneli DiVirgilio dominated defense at the start with nine digs and two aces. Beaulieu came in with six digs and a team best of six aces at the end of the game. Lowe contributed five digs and four aces to the game. Bailey tallied 21 assists, besting her own performance in the game against WNE. She also put up seven digs to help with defense. Stadelman said, “We've really come together as a team, communicating. I feel like we're getting closer and working better together. “We're all pushing each other, and holding each other accountable but also encouraging each other,” she added. After their win against Elms College, the Rams went on to defeat Mitchell College on their home court Sept. 12. The Rams traveled to face Husson University and Mount Holyoke College in a non-conference doubleheader Sept. 14. They won against Husson three sets to one before falling to Mount Holyoke three sets to two. The Rams fell to Suffolk University 3-2 in their most recent matchup Sept. 17. Lowe said, “We have worked extra hard these past couple of practices to push each other on and off the court, and we are motivated to keep building as a team.” DiVirgilio and Reynolds earned MASCAC accolades Defensive Player of the Week and Offensive Player of the Week, respectively, Sept. 16. The Rams sit atop the MASCAC rankings as of press time with an overall record of 3-5. Regarding their record, Bailey said, “Last year, we were ranked fourth in the MASCAC preseason poll and we were able to win. So we're OK with that slow start because we can feel it starting to ramp up right now.” When asked about what they are improving for their upcoming first conference game, Beaulieu said, “We practice like we play, so we're always giving 100%.” She added, “It's been a huge motivation with trying to get better and knowing what we can improve on in practices, and bringing that to games.” The Rams travel to Roger Williams University for a doubleheader Sept. 21. Game one will be against Roger Williams before they meet their first conference opponent, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, for game two.
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