Volleyball Falls to MIT in Opening Round of NCAA Tournament
Medford, Mass. – The Framingham State University volleyball team closed the 2016 season with a 3-0 loss to MIT in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Tournament at Cousens Gym on the campus of Tufts University. The Rams fell by scores of 25-13, 2-17 and 25-19.
The Rams (22-12, 6-0 MASCAC) see their season come to a conclusion, as they posted a perfect mark in conference play and won the MASCAC Tournament title on Nov. 5. The Rams have qualified for the NCAA Tournament in three consecutive years and four of the past five years.
The Engineers (29-4, 10-0 in NEWMAC), who posted a perfect conference record and won the NEWMAC Tournament title, will square off against Springfield College in second-round action of the NCAA Tournament Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Cousens Gym. Springfield defeated Endicott College, 3-1, in first-round action Friday.
The Engineers received strong performances from senior Megan Gebhard (11 kills), junior Lisette Tellez (nine digs, seven kills), sophomore Carly Staub (seven kills), sophomore Abby Bertics (nine kills), sophomore Christina Liao (36 assists), senior Tori Wuthrich (17 digs) and junior Clare Farley (14 digs).
Senior Alycia Rackliffe (14 kills, nine digs), the 2016 MASCAC Player of the Year, led the way for the Rams, while the squad also received strong performances from sophomore Mackenzie Whalen (19 assists, seven digs), freshman Deirdre Fay (13 digs) and senior Julia Wan (nine digs).
The Engineers raced out to a 17-7 advantage in the first set on an ace by senior Jennie Glerum. The Engineers claimed a 23-9 advantage on a kill by Gebhard. The Rams responded with four consecutive points, but the Engineers closed the set with back-to-back points, giving them a 25-13 victory.
The second set presented back-and-forth action in the beginning, as a kill by freshman Alexandra Fish of the Rams evened the score, 10-10. The Engineers scored eight of the next nine points, which concluded with a service point by Tellez, giving the Engineers an 18-11 lead. The Rams trimmed the deficit to 21-17 on a service point by Fay, but the Engineers prevailed in the second set, 25-17
The Engineers built a 24-12 lead in third-set action, but the Rams showed their resiliency by fighting off seven match points. A kill by Rackliffe cut the Engineers' lead to 24-19, and then freshman Veronica Ripper responded with the match-clinching kill for the Engineers.
Portions of courtesy of Tufts Sports Information