Volleyball Defeats Keene State 3-0 and Falls to WPI

Framingham, Mass. – The WPI women's volleyball team swept a tri-match this afternoon with Framingham State University and Keene State College at the Athletic Center.  The Engineers defeated the Rams and Owls by a score of 3-0, while the Rams defeated Keene State 3-0 in the day's other match.

With the wins, the Engineers improve to 20-7 on the year, while the Rams move to 17-10 and the Owls to 16-11.

The Engineers earned the victory in the first match of the day over the Rams by scores of 25-22, 30-28 and 25-19.  WPI was paced by sophomore Casey Hunt (Granby, Conn.) who recorded 12 kills and 10 digs, while senior Maddy Werth (Bedford, Mass.) added 10 kills.  Sophomore Victoria Nassar (Salem, N.H.) led the defensive effort with 16 digs, while junior Kelly Rathje (Scituate, Mass.) added 11.

The Rams received a match-best 18 kills, 10 digs and four blocks from senior Alycia Rackliffe (Feeding Hills, Mass.). Rackliffe connected on 18 of 43 attempts with a .293 hitting percentage.  Junior Vicki Anderson (Attleboro, Mass.) added 11 digs, while sophomore Mackenzie Whalen (Norton, Mass.) chipped in with 29 set assists.

The Engineers fell behind early in the first set to Keene State before rallying for the victory by scores of 26-24, 25-19 and 25-23.  Werth once again led the way with 13 kills on 23 attempts with just two errors for a .423 hitting percentage.  Freshman Abbie Gilbert (Hopkinton, Mass.) added seven kills, while senior Cassandra Tomerlin (LaQuinta, Calif.) paced the back row with 16 digs.

Keene State was led by 11 kills and six digs from junior Rachel Lamica (Malone, N.Y.), while freshman Hannah Syzmanski (Greenwood Village, Colo.) added six kills.  Sophomore Riley Bunker (Simi Valley, Calif.) chipped in with 15 defensive digs, while junior Katie Cunningham (Nelsonville, N.Y.) added 25 set assists.

The Rams closed the day with a victory over Keene State by scores of 25-11, 25-15 and 25-22.  Rackliffe once again paced the attack with 14 kills, five digs and six blocks, while senior Julia Wan (South Deerfield, Mass.) added eight kills and eight digs with three blocks.  Junior Sarah Leonard (Southborough, Mass.) recorded a team-high 10 digs, while Whalen added seven and 27 assists.

The Owls were led by eight kills and three blocks from junior Courtney Collins (Litchfield, N.H.), while Lamica chipped in with six kills.  Bunker led the back row effort with 12 digs, while Leslie Hearns (Bedford, N.Y.) added 10.

The Rams are back in action on Monday evening when they travel to Regis for a non-conference match at 7 p.m. The Engineers host NEWMAC foe Clark on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. and Keene State hosts Western New England on Thursday night in a non-conference match at 7 p.m.