Lancers Fight Anchormen Tight in Tuesday Night Volleyball Battle

Worcester, MA- After grabbing their first win of the season on Saturday, the Worcester State Women's Volleyball team is looking to double up their success with a trip to Rhode Island College in their final road stretch of the start of the season. 

Final

Worcester State: 0

Rhode Island College: 3

How it Happened:

The Worcester State volleyball team battled hard in its non-conference matchup Tuesday night, pushing Rhode Island College in back-to-back competitive sets before falling 3-0 (25-10, 25-23, 25-19) at The Murray Center.

Rhode Island opened strong with a quick run in the first set, but the Lancers answered with a kill from first year Reece Connors (Fresno, CA) and a service ace by senior Cassie Millea (Orange, CT) to spark the offense. Worcester added kills from sophomore Beatrice Gamboa-Estrella (Simi Valley, CA) and senior Kaitlin Cueva (Tewksbury, MA), but the hosts took the opener, 25-10.

The second set showcased Worcester's resilience as junior Isabella Melo (Hudson, MA) and senior Kate Stedronsky (Sea Girt, NJ) each recorded kills, while Stedronsky added a service ace to tie the score at 11. The frame saw eight ties overall, with Worcester pulling even at 21-21 on a Connors kill before narrowly dropping the set 25-23.

The third set continued the back-and-forth momentum, featuring 10 ties and five lead changes. The Lancers got big swings from senior Paige Thomason (Hudson, MA) and Gamboa-Estrella, plus a late block by Connors and senior Cassidy D'Esposito (Medford, NY) to stay within reach. Ultimately, RIC closed on a run to take the set 25-19 and the match.

Connors led the way with 7 kills, 6 assists, and 9 digs while Gamboa-Estrella chipped in 5 kills, 11 serves received, and an ace. Defensively, Katherine Crateau (North Andover, MA) led the back row with 17 digs, supported by Sara Carter (North Attleboro, MA) with 7.

What's Next:

Worcester State (1-7, 0-0) hosts their home opener in conjunction with alumni day on Saturday, hosting a tri-match with Plymouth State and Connecticut College. Events for the day begin at 8am with the teams Alumni match before hosting Plymouth State at 11am.