Framingham State and Westfield State are heading to the semifinal round of the MASCAC Volleyball Tournament after winning their quarterfinal matches on Tuesday evening.

#3 Westfield State 3, #6 MCLA 1         Box Score

WESTFIELD, Mass. – The Owls volleyball team advances in the MASCAC tournament with a first round, 3-1 (26-24, 20-25, 25-12, 25-12), win over the visiting MCLA Trailblazers on Tuesday, Oct. 30 in the Woodward Center.

Brianna Starkey (Rockland, Mass.) paved the way for the Owls with 18 kills and eight digs. Westfield setter, Ally Rega(Chelmsford, Mass.) connected on 41 assists and picked up 11 digs in the victory.

The Owls overcame a late 24-22 deficit in the opening frame of the match by way of a Trailblazer ball handling error, two kills by Karolyn Higgins (Billerica, Mass.) and a game- winning kill from Rega to take a 1-0 lead.

The Trailblazers led wire-to-wire in the second set to even the match at 1-1. Ahna Schlaefer (Lee, Mass.) and Kelsey Lafreniere (Becket, Mass.) picked up the final point with a block. Schlaefer and Lafreniere each posted a team- high six kills on the night to lead MCLA in the setback.

Westfield cruised in the third and fourth sets by identical margins, 25-12, to take the match and move on in the tournament.

Jess Haradon (Mansfield, Mass.) shouldered the bulk of the defensive load for the Owls with 25 digs. Tessa Sestito (Corona, CA) and Celine Manigbas (Floral Park, NY) picked up 17 and 15 digs respectfully for the Trailblazers. Sestito, who also sets for MCLA, made her numbers in the first two and half sets before injuring her leg, she finished with 13 assists.

The Owls will travel to Salem State on Thursday, Nov. 1 for a 7:00 p.m. start in the MASCAC semi- final match. The Vikings are the second seed in the tournament and Westfield looks to avenge a 3-1 setback in the regular season. MCLA finishes their 2018 season with an 8-18 record.

#4 Framingham State 3, #5 Bridgewater State 0          Box Score

Framingham, Mass. - The fourth seeded Framingham State University volleyball team defeated fifth seeded Bridgewater State University 3-0 this evening in one quarterfinal of the 2018 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Volleyball Tournament at the Athletic Center.

THE BASICS:

- Score:   Framingham State 3, Bridgewater State 0 (34-32, 25-21, 25-19)

- Records: Framingham State (17-14), Bridgewater State (5-16)

- Location:  Athletic Center - Framingham, Mass.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• With the victory the Rams advance to the semifinals of the MASCAC Tournament and will face top seed Worcester State University in Worcester on Thursday night at 6 p.m.
• The Rams came out on top of a marathon first set that saw neither team lead by more than five. Tied at 25-25, the two teams traded points with one team going ahead and the other tying the set right back up.  A service error by the Rams tied the set at 32-32, but back-to-back kills from sophomore Brandey Rodriguez (Lawrence, Mass.) and freshman Brandee Thomas (North Kingstown, RI) gave the Rams the first set victory.
• In the second, the Rams opened up an 8-1 lead before the Bears came back to take the lead 16-14 on a Ram error.  With the set tied at 17-17, the Rams rattled off three straight points including kills from Rodriguez and Thomas to take control of the frame.
• In the third, the Bears led 12-7, but the Rams battled back taking a 14-13 lead on an ace by freshman Alyssa Cafarelli (Peoria, AZ).  The Rams pushed the lead to 21-15 before securing the three set victory.
• The Rams were led by a match-high 21 kills from Thomas who committed just three attack errors in the match. She also added three digs and three blocks.
• Rodriguez finished the match with nine kills, while sophomore Grace Caughey (Mendon, Mass.) added seven kills and 16 digs.
• Senior Mackenzie Whalen (Norton, Mass.) chipped in with 40 set assists and 17 digs, while Cafarelli finished with two aces, four assists and 15 digs.
• The Bears were paced by 10 kills from junior Erin Clifford (Hanson, Mass.), while senior Kayla Baril (Seekonk, Mass.) added eight kills and 14 digs.
• Sophomore Casey Holmes (Norton, Mass.) and senior Picabo Miskiv (Barnstable, Mass.) recorded 15 and 14 assist.  Holmes also added 10 digs and Miskiv nine.

 UP NEXT:

The Rams advance to the semifinals of the MASCAC Tournament and travel to top seed Worcester State on Thursday for a 6 p.m. match.

Releases courtesy of Westfield State and Framingham State Sports Information