Volleyball overcomes Worcester in conference opener

Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST

By Izabela Gage Sports Editor The Framingham State volleyball team secured a 3-2 victory against the Worcester State Lancers in a nail-biter conference opener Sept. 23. This win brings their conference record to 1-0 and their overall record to 8-3. Captain Stella Bailey, a senior, said, “It feels really good to win our first conference game. … It creates the expectation that we need to win.” A service ace by freshman Kristina Santiago-Alers and a kill by junior Jaimee Lowe put the first points on the board. Following an attack error by Lowe, junior Natalie Reynolds tallied two kills, both assisted by Bailey, to put the Rams in the lead 4-1. Worcester worked to tie the game up 5-5 and both teams exchanged the lead for the remainder of the set. Lowe, Reynolds, juniors Jamie Moniz and Emma Dobbins, and sophomore Sarah Medeiros all contributed kills to try to put the Rams ahead. Worcester sealed the frame with consecutive kills and a block, earning a tight 27-25 win for the Lancers in the opening set. The second set started out with two service aces and errors by Framingham, putting the Lancers in the lead 5-0. The Rams forced an attack error by the Lancers, putting their first point on the board in the set. Despite kills from Bailey and Reynolds, the deficit was deepened to 9-3. Framingham worked hard to close the gap. Medeiros, Dobbins, and Moniz sparked a furious rally by each contributing a kill, while Bailey delivered three service aces to tie the set. The middle of the set became a tug-of-war, with both sides trading errors and big kills until Worcester took the lead 16-14. Reynolds and Medeiros struck back with one kill each, and Santiago-Alers added a service ace to tilt the momentum. The Rams closed strong with blocks, taking the set 25-23 and tying the match at 1-1. In the third set, Framingham trailed 7-3. But Lowe and Moniz each tallied a kill, assisted by Bailey, tying the score at 9-9 after costly errors by Worcester. The set reached a dramatic climax when the Rams tied the game once again 23-23. Worcester secured the set 25-23 with two kills, grabbing a 2-1 match lead. Facing elimination, the Rams responded with their best stretch of the night. Worcester opened the fourth set with a 2-0 lead, but Reynolds, Lowe, Medeiros, and Moniz answered with kills to tie the game 5-5. Moniz then tallied three back-to-back kills, and a subsequent service ace from Bailey gave Framingham a 12-5 lead. The Lancers tried to claw their way back, but the Rams’ offense and defense remained steady to maintain the deficit. Following an attack error by Worcester, Reynolds swung the set-winning kill, forcing the match into a decisive fifth set. With everything on the line, Lowe put in back-to-back kills following errors by the Lancers to give the Rams the lead 4-2. Lowe and Bailey set up Medeiros and Moniz for more kills, while Captain Carly Beaulieu, a senior, delivered a service ace that pushed the Rams’ lead to 12-9. Lowe found another gap in the Lancers’ defense, and Reynolds closed the door with one final kill. Framingham captured the set 15-11, claiming a thrilling conference win. Bailey contributed 48 assists and 20 digs in the match. She said her goal is to do whatever she can to help the team. “I think about it at night. I think about it when I sleep. I think about it when I wake up. I think a lot about it when I practice. My goal has always been to be a team player.” Reynolds earned MASCAC Offensive Player of the Week Sept. 22 after tallying 48 kills with a .276 hitting percentage, nine digs, and five blocks in a 2-1 week for the Rams. Reynolds said being recognized by the conference for the third consecutive week is “always a reminder to stay determined.” Medeiros said, “Our team chemistry and skill are fantastic this year, so it’s really just minor things that we need to clean up as we continue practicing throughout the season.” Reynolds said this win and their overall record have the team excited for the rest of the season. “We now know what we are capable of and are continuing to work hard … to take on more tough conference games.” The Rams travel to Salem State University for their second conference matchup Sept. 27.