Westfield State Edges Women's Volleyball In MASCAC Semifinals, 3-2

Westfield, MA --- Westfield State senior Julia Warner (Lee, MA) had 21 kills and 33 digs as Westfield State outlasted Worcester State, 3-2, in the semifinals of the MASCAC Women's Volleyball Tournament this afternoon at the Woodard Center.

The top-seeded Westfield State (18-14) defeated #2 Framingham State later on this afternoon to win this years conference title. They dispached the Lancers (9-19) by set scores of 25-20, 26-28, 23-25, 25-19 and 15-11.

The Owls squandered large leads in the second set (24-19) and third set (20-12) as the scrappy Lancers took a 2-1 match advantage. During the regular season, Westfield State had defeated Worcester State, 3-1.

Westfield State jumped out to an early 8-4 lead in set four and held off another late Blue and Gold rally to post a 25-19 victory.

Leading 19-16, in the fourth set, the Owls scored four straight points for a 23-16 lead capped by kills from Warner and sophomore Casey Howe (Chelmsford, MA). Worcester State scored the next three points to close within four, 23-19, but the hosts won the set with a dink attack by freshman freshman Casey Doremus (Westford, MA) and a Lancer double hit. 

In the fifth set, Westfield State trailed early, 5-2, then scored nine of the next 11 points for an 11-7 lead. Senior Lindsay Rescott (Rescott, NY) ripped three kills during the key run. 

Warner executed a perfectly placed attack to give Westfield a 13-10 edge before finishing the match off with a kill. 

In the opening set, Westfield State snapped a 16-16 tie with a 5-1 run to take a 21-16 lead. Rescott tallied three of Westfield's final six points on kills and Howe ended the game with a block for a 25-20 decision.

In the second set, the Owls rattled off five straight points to take what appeared to be a commanding 24-19 lead.

But backed by the serving of sophomore Kaylee Leduc (Swansea, MA) and the potent frontline duo of senior Megan Brown (Dartmouth, MA) and junior Alyssa Jasper (Rockland, MA), the Lancers scored five straight points to knot the score at 24-all. Leduc had two service aces during the comeback spurt. 

Westfield State held 25-24 and 26-25 leads, however, Worcester State notched three consecutive points, the final two on Jasper kills, for the 28-26 decision. 

The Lancers' comeback in the third set was even more stunning. After the hosts opened a 19-11 lead with a 5-0 run, Worcester reeled off nine straight points to take a 20-19 edge. Leduc (two aces), Jasper and Brown again sparked the comeback. 

The Owls regrouped to take a 23-21 lead, but Lancers clinched the set with four straight points. 

In addition to Warner, other top attackers for the Owls were Rescott (18 kills), junior Carole Duquette (Feeding Hills, MA) (10 kills), and Howe (8 kills). Junior Carolyn Cote (Chelmsford, MA) racked up a game-high 60 assists, and Rescott and sophomore Kayleigh Shea (Chelmsford, MA) each had 17 digs. 

Jasper recorded a school-record 28 kills in 52 attack attempts and Brown was right behind her with 21 kills in 53 attack attempts. Jasper leapfrogged her own mark set in a 3-2 loss against Lasell on October 8 and the same standard which was held by Lauren Saylor against Clark in 2007.

Sophomore Gina Battista (W. Springfield, MA) registered 56 assists to equal the single-game mark held by junior Amanda Lewis (Poughkeepsie, NY) and set last year against UMass Dartmouth while she pitched in with six block assists.

Senior Vicki O'Brien (Canton, MA) had 20 digs as she wraps up her career with 1,271 digs for the program's all-time career record.

Worcester State single game, season and career records were first kept starting in 2003.

Major Portions of Release Courtesy of Westfield State Sports Information

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