Casali Earns 300th Victory as Volleyball Defeats MCLA 3-2

North Adams, Mass. – Framingham State University head volleyball coach Dick Casali earned his 300^th career coaching victory as the Rams earned a hard fought 3-2 victory this evening over MCLA in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action at the Amsler Campus Center.

THE BASICS:

- Scores: Framingham State 3, MCLA 2 (23-25, 25-20, 25-14, 14-25, 15-10)

- Records: Framingham State (13-9, 3-1 MASCAC), MCLA (13-8, 2-2 MASCAC)

- Location:  Amsler Campus Center – North Adams, Mass.  

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Casali, who is in his 16^th season with the Rams, is already the all-time winningest volleyball coach in school history.  Casali now has a career record of 300 wins and 205 losses with the Rams.
• After being edged 25-23 in the first set, the Rams came back in the second set taking the lead early. MCLA pulled within one, 10-9, but the Rams used a 4-1 run to push the lead to four.  The Rams extended the lead to as many as six before securing the 25-20 victory.
• In the third, the Rams led 9-8 before rattling off an 8-1 run to take control of the frame. In the fourth, the Trailblazers took control right from the start opening up a 10-4 lead and never looking back.
• In the deciding set, the Rams opened up a 6-3 lead on a kill by sophomore Payton Hodsdon (Somersworth, NH), but the Trailblazers pulled within one, 7-6.  The Rams scored the next five points taking a 12-6 lead.  MCLA closed the gap to 12-9, but the Rams closed the game with a kill from freshman Hailey Sanders (Franklin, Mass.) to secure the victory.
• Sophomore Brandee Thomas (North Kingstown, RI) paced the Rams on the attack with 15 kills on 63 attempts to go along with seven digs, two service aces and two blocks.
• Sanders finished the match with nine kills on 24 attempts with three digs and eight blocks, while junior Brandey Rodriguez (Lawrence, Mass.) chipped in with eight kills, three digs, two aces and two blocks.
• Hodsdon finished the game with five kills and six digs, while junior Morgan Failla (Providence, RI) recorded 42 set assists and 10 digs.
• Sophomore Alyssa Cafarelli (Peoria, AZ) paced the defensive effort with 28 defensive digs, while junior Brenna Marquis (Coventry, Conn.) added 19.  Senior Deirdre Fay (Cornwall, NY) added 16 digs to go along with three service aces.
• The Trailblazers were led by 13 kills and four digs from Reagan Scattergood, while Natasha Stewart added 31 defensive digs.

UP NEXT:

The Rams are back in action on Saturday when they host Fitchburg State and Curry for a tri-match beginning at 11 a.m.