Volleyball Advances to MASCAC Semifinals with 3-0 Win over Bridgewater State

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.