Volleyball tabbed third in MASCAC preseason poll

Westfield, Mass.— For the fourth straight year, the Framingham State Rams have been tabbed by the coaches from around the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference as the preseason favorite to win the 2017 conference championship.

 

The 2016 MASCAC Regular Season and Tournament Champions earned seven of the eight first place votes for 49 points. The Rams were a perfect 6-0 during MASCAC play last season. With the graduation of reigning MASCAC Player of the Year and Tournament MVP Alycia Rackliffe, the team will look to Second Team All-Conference outside hitter Sarah Leonard who registered 153 kills, 63 assists, 52 services aces, 247 digs and 11 total blocks last season.

 

Claiming the final first place vote for 43 points is Westfield State. The Owls were 5-1 during the 2016 league schedule. Returning for the team is First Team All-Conference defensive specialist Lizzie Taylor. Last season, Taylor led the conference in digs with 529 (4.99 per set) and was third in service aces with 55 while racking up 44 assists and 38 kills.

 

Up next in the third spot is MCLA with 32 points. The Trailblazers were 4-2 during the 2016 conference campaign. Maggie Allen is back for the team after a 2016 season where she had 198 kills, 33 blocks, a .177 hitting percentage and 44 digs.

 

Bridgewater State lands in fourth with 31 points. The Bears had a 3-3 record at the conclusion of the MASCAC schedule. Erin Clifford, 2016 MASCAC Rookie of the Year and All-Conference honoree, looks to repeat her success from last season after netting 268 kills, 51 total blocks with a .278 hitting percentage, good enough for second best in the conference.

 

Coming in fifth with 29 points is Worcester State. The Lancers finished with two victories in conference play in 2016. Emily Carens, who earned a spot on the All-Conference team last year, was fourth in the league in kills (277) and kills per set (2.59) while also collecting 210 digs and 23 total blocks last season.

 

Salem State grabs the sixth slot with 18 points. The Vikings had one win in conference play last season. Defensive specialist Hannah Mularkey is back for the team after collecting 370 digs, (3.85 per set), 31 service aces and 23 assists to earn a spot on the All-Conference team.

 

Closing out the 2017 poll in seventh and eighth are Massachusetts Maritime and Fitchburg State with 13 and nine points, respectively. In her first season with Buccaneers, Marie Harrison had 160 kills, 303 digs, 21 assists and 23 service aces. The Falcons are competing for the first time since 2003 as a varsity sport in the MASCAC. Leading the team is head coach Victor Wirkkala.

 

The MASCAC volleyball teams start their season with non-conference play the weekend of September 1-2.

 

The Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference, the nation's oldest Division III men's and women's playing conference, has a rich and storied tradition of competitive success while celebrating excellence in the classroom. MASCAC member schools include Bridgewater State University, Fitchburg State University, Framingham State University, MCLA, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Salem State University, Westfield State University and Worcester State University. Two other institutions, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Plymouth State University, are affiliate members of the conference in the sports of football and men's ice hockey, while Western Connecticut State University joined the conference as an affiliate member in football beginning in 2013.

 

1. Framingham State (7) 49 points

2. Westfield State (1) 43 points

3. MCLA 32 points

4. Bridgewater State 31 points

5. Worcester State 29 points

6. Salem State 18 points

7. Massachusetts Maritime 13 points

8. Fitchburg State 9 points