Volleyball sweeps Mass. Maritime in MASCAC action

Meg Dame / THE GATEPOST

By Izabela Gage

Sports Editor

By Taylor Kimmell

Asst. Sports Editor

The Framingham State Rams conquered the Mass. Maritime Buccaneers 3-0 on their home court Oct. 28.

This win brings their conference record to 5-2, and their overall record to 15-11.

Junior Natalie Reynolds started the action, earning a kill to put the first point on the board, assisted by Captain Stella Bailey, a senior.

Following two block errors by the Rams, another kill by Reynolds and two by sophomore Sarah Medeiros, Framingham was in the lead.

The Buccaneers closed the gap by capitalizing on the Rams’ attack errors, but Framingham remained unfazed.

A kill by Medeiros gave possession back to the Rams, and junior Anneli DiVirgilio earned a service ace to bring the score to 8-6. 

Mass. Maritime couldn’t break through Framingham’s front line, with Bailey and junior Jamie Moniz tallying another point after blocking a kill attempt.

Sophomore Madysen Cedrone found a hole in the Buccaneers’ defense, earning her first kill of the game.

DiVirgilio served another ace to deepen the deficit, and the Rams’ blockers kept the Buccaneers on their toes, causing two more attack errors to bring the score to 13-6.

Mass. Maritime gained momentum with two back-to-back kills, but Framingham did not let up.

Following another kill by Cedrone, freshman Kristina Santiago-Alers earned a service ace, which would be her first of many.

Reynolds swung decisively, breaking the Buccaneers’ defense again, putting the Rams in the lead by eight.

Santiago-Alers served two more aces, and Reynolds and Dobbins kept the front row assertive with a kill each, both assisted by Bailey.

After two more back-to-back service aces by Santiago-Alers, Mass. Maritime tallied a kill, but couldn’t capitalize on the possession change. 

Reynolds earned another point for the Rams on a kill, assisted by Bailey, and a subsequent attack error by the Buccaneers brought the score to 24-9.

Mass. Maritime put one more point on the board on an attack error by Framingham, but Cedrone finished the set strong with a kill for the Rams.

The second set started with a kill by the Buccaneers, but Bailey set up Reynolds for another kill, tying the score 1-1.

An attack error by Mass. Maritime gave Framingham the lead, but it was short-lived due to an attack error by FSU.

A service error by the Buccaneers gave the Rams possession of the ball, and two back-to-back kills by Reynolds, once again both assisted by Bailey, gave them the lead 5-2.  

Framingham forced another attack error for Mass. Maritime, but two kills by the Buccaneers closed the gap to 6-4.

Momentum swung back in favor of the Rams after a kill and a service ace by Reynolds.

An attack error by Mass. Maritime deepened the deficit to 9-4, and Framingham kept pushing.

Medeiros tallied a kill, and Reynolds tallied her second service ace of the match to earn a 7-point lead.

The Buccaneers remained determined, earning a kill to bring the score to 11-5.

Sophomore Sabrina Stadelman broke through Mass. Maritime’s front row, tallying another kill for FSU.

The teams switched off kills for the next three plays, but a bad set by the Buccaneers kept the Rams ahead 15-7.

Framingham let up a point on a service error, but a subsequent attack error by Mass. Maritime and a kill by Reynolds helped the Rams stay on top of offense. 

The Buccaneers attempted to claw their way back with two kills and two service aces, but they let up two points on attack errors, bringing the score to 19-12.

Following a bad set by Framingham’s front row, the teams switched off kills for five points, with Reynolds, Medeiros, and Stadelman all contributing to maintain the Rams’ lead.

An attack error by Mass. Maritime put FSU within two points of winning the set.

Framingham let up a point on an attack error of their own, but Stadelman didn’t let it go unanswered and earned a kill.

The Buccaneers stayed vigilant on offense and caused another attack error by the Rams, but Reynolds finished out the second set 25-17 with a kill.

A kill by Reynolds on an assist by Bailey kicked off a stellar third set for the Rams.

After granting FSU a point on an attack error, the Buccaneers battled back, earning two points of their own to tie the score. 

The dynamic duo of Reynolds and Bailey fought back to regain Framingham’s lead with a kill.

With the ball handed to FSU, junior Jaimee Lowe contributed to the score with a service ace, starting a three-point streak for the Rams, including an unassisted kill by Bailey and another two Bailey-to-Reynolds kills.

Mass. Maritime’s defensive plays yielded attack errors from Framingham, earning the team two points to decrease the deficit to 7-5.

Medeiros stepped in with a kill, kickstarting the Rams’ momentum once again.

A block by Moniz and junior Emma Dobbins forced an attack error from the Buccaneers, adding another point to FSU’s side of the scoreboard.

Two more kills by Reynolds, as well as several errors from Mass. Maritime increased the Rams’ lead, bringing the score to 15-10.

A kill by Medeiros followed, and defensive plays by the Rams continued to add to their score.

Cedrone and Dobbins added two more kills, bringing Framingham’s score to 22 with the Buccaneers trailing by five.

Another error from Mass. Maritime placed Framingham within two points of winning the set as well as the match.

After a brief timeout taken by the Buccaneers, the teams returned to the court, with the Rams making quick work of the game and sealing their victory 25-17 with kills by Reynolds and Cedrone.

During the match, Reynolds earned a save percentage of .594, tallied 19 kills, and had no errors. 

She said, “The mental part of volleyball is so important. I always try to keep the same mindset, whether I’m at five kills or 19, and just reset and refocus after every point.

“I’m lucky to have such a great connection with my setter, who is able to get that ball anywhere on the court for her hitters,” she added.

Bailey said, “Mixing up the sets helps our hitters, especially dominant hitters like Natalie Reynolds. It’s crucial that even if the set isn’t effective, we at least try to run something to throw off the blockers. This way, as they’re watching our hitters with the goal in mind of blocking them, they have to think about all of the potential different options and routes. It keeps the blockers on their toes!”

Moniz said, “We looked to shut down their main hitter and talked about rotating our defensive mechanism in order to. So, it was very important to set up a strong block on the line.”

Cedrone said, “It’s important to be ready for anything that could come over the net and to make sure the ball is on the way to the setter.”

Lowe said reading the hitters on the opposing team is important. “If we can read what the hitters are doing, we can get a great up. If I read a hitter wrong, I know that I can trust the other five girls on the court to have my back.”

Bailey said, “Communication is key. The more we communicate before, during, and after plays the better chemistry we are able to build. It’s really important that we talk about what works and what doesn’t based on the placement of our stacks and the blockers on the other side of the court.”

Moniz said, “As the season’s gone on, we’ve definitely bonded and have been focusing on our team aspect, including team bonding, and really emphasizing picking each other up and not leaving anyone on their own island.”

Santiago-Alers said the team listens to each other and believes in each other, which has played a crucial role in the team’s success this season. 

In the Rams' loss against Plymouth State Oct. 25, Bailey hit a milestone of 3,000 career assists.

Bailey said accomplishing this “feels amazing! It was absolutely the goal going into the season, and I feel so thankful to have teammates who pass well and hit hard! 

“All throughout my four years here, there has never been a bit of complacency. It’s always been ‘more, we can do more,’ so continuing to push for more is what I will finish the season out with!” she added.

With just two games left in the regular season, the Rams are working hard to prepare for postseason play.

Reynolds said the team sees playoffs as a “clean slate and an opportunity to beat teams we might have lost to before. We have our eyes on the prize. … We’re cleaning up some small offense and defense problems. Other than that, we’re just bringing everything we have into playoffs week.”

Medeiros said, “The team is working really hard to give the last stretch of the season everything we have, and to maintain a steady level of energy as we transition into tournament play. It’s crucial that we turn up the intensity and play aggressively in both the back row and the front row.”

The Rams host Johnson and Wales University for a non-conference matchup Nov. 4. 

Cedrone said, “Our goal is to always play as a team, pick up the person next to you, and to celebrate every point.”