Volleyball Blanks Framingham State in Key MASCAC Matchup

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.— With a potential tiebreaker scenario and third place in the MASCAC on the line, the MCLA Volleyball team made a statement in sweeping the Framingham State Rams in straight sets at the Amsler Campus Center Gymnasium this evening.

THE BASICS:

• Date: Tuesday, October 17, 2023
• Score: Framingham State 0, MCLA 3
• Records: Framingham State Rams 13-7 (MASCAC 2-2) | MCLA Trailblazers 14-3 (MASCAC 3-1)

HIGHLIGHTS

• All three sets never felt as close as their scores would imply.
• In the first set, the teams traded short three and four-point runs, with neither team pulling away from the other until the score got to a 21-19 MCLA lead. Following a kill from Chloie Garber, Elizabeth Harris started a service run of four points to close out the set. The run included a block from Garber and a series of attack errors from the Rams.
• In the second set, the Trailblazers rallied from a 15-17 deficit thanks to a 7-0 run that started with an Anais Badio kill and included six straight service points from Julia Conturso. The run included four kills from Badio. After a Framingham timeout, the Rams responded with a four-point run that forced MCLA to take a timeout to staunch the momentum. The time out worked as the three of the final five points to take the set.
• The Trailblazers opened the third set with a 6-2 run that was finished with a kill by Elizabeth Brown. MCLA expanded their lead slowly, taking roughly two of every three points until the score reached 20-16 MCLA, and they closed the set with a 5-1 run that included two kills from Brown, including the match point.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Brown paced the Trailblazers with a game-high 12 kills on 28 attacks for a .357 hitting percentage and a game-high 13 points thanks to a service ace. Badio was just behind her with 11 kills on 22 attacks for a .455 hitting percentage and added a solo block to account for 12 total points.
• Garber and Conturso had a game-high 12 and 11 digs, respectively, while the Rams Jamie Lowe recorded 10 for the visitors.
• Framingham State's Stella Bailey had a game-high three service aces and a game-high 25 assists. Shannon O'Brien paced MCLA with 23 assists.

UP NEXT:

On Saturday, MCLA will be back in action when they play host to Salem State for a MASCAC matchup with the Vikings at the Amsler Campus Center Gym. The match is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start. There will be pre-game festivities as the Trailblazers will honor their seniors on Senior Day.