Volleyball Holds Off Lesley for 3-2 Victory in Home Opener

Framingham, Mass. – The Framingham State University volleyball team received 26 combined kills from freshmen Kelly Brinkman (Gardiner, NY) and Brandey Rodriguez (Lawrence, Mass.) as the Rams defeated Lesley University 3-2 this evening in non-conference action at the Athletic Center.

With the win, the Rams improve to 1-3 on the year, while the Lynx are still in search of their first victory at 0-3.

The Lynx took the opening set 25-19 after three straight aces broke open an 18-18 tie.  The Rams came back in the second game taking the early lead at 7-3 before taking the frame 25-19. In the third, the Rams once again opened the early lead, but a run by Lesley cut the deficit to 23-18. The Rams were able to close out the set once again by a score of 25-19. 

In the fourth, Framingham opened up a ten point lead before Lesley came back to tie the set at 24-24 and eventually took the 26-24 win.  In the fifth, the Rams jumped out to an 8-2 lead before securing the match 15-6.

Brinkman paced the Rams with a team-high 16 kills and seven digs with three aces, while Rodriguez added 10 kills and five digs.  Junior Mackenzie Whalen (Norton, Mass.) contributed 41 set assists, five aces and 11 digs, while senior Vicki Anderson (Attleboro, Mass.) added 16 digs and five aces.  Senior Casie Thurber (Springfield, Mass.) recorded eight kills and four aces, while sophomore Brenna Marquis (Coventry, Conn.) added 10 digs.

The Lynx were led by a game-high 20 kills and 17 digs from Anni Abbruzzese, while senior Kaylee Deluga added 11 kills and 10 digs.  Sophomore Cassidy Wygonik chipped in with eight kills, and nine digs, and Tallin Goldberg added 24 assists.

The Rams take to the road for a non-conference tri-match at Rhode Island College on Saturday afternoon with Salve Regina beginning at 1 p.m., while the Lynx host Pine Manor on Thursday at 8 p.m.