Westfield, Mass. – The Westfield State volleyball team fell to Amherst College (16-25, 11-25, 18-25) and Mount Holyoke (24-26, 25-19, 23-25, 22-25) on day two of the hall of fame tournament in Amherst, Mass. on Saturday afternoon.
In the first set of game one, an eight point run by the Mammoths in the middle of the set would prove to be too much to come back from as back-to-back kills by Jamie Dailey (Newport Beach, Calif.) and a service ace closed out the opening frame. The middle of set number two played out similarly as Amherst rallied off 13 of 15 points to distance themselves and take the set. In the final set of the match, Jacqueline Kortekaas (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) ended the game with a game-winning kill to sweep the Owls.
Westfield State senior Shawna Crowley (Billerica, Mass.) led all Owls in kills (5) as Jess Haradon (Mansfield, Mass.) led the team in digs (12). Julia Dangel-Garcia (Ashland, Mass.) tallied ten assists in game one.
In game two, the Owls lost a closely contested match with Mount Holyoke. In set one, a late-set kill by senior Ashley Crowley (Billerica, Mass.) avoided game point to tie the game at 24. Junior McKenna Crosby (Jonesborough, Tenn.) came up with two clutch kills on the next two points to close out the set for the Lyons.
In the second set, with the game tied at 14, the Owls rallied off six straight points and then ended the set with consecutive kills by sophomore Bridgette McAndrews (Longmeadow, Mass.) and Ashley Crowley.
Tied at one game apiece, the third had a plethora of runs as Mount Holyoke scored 14 of 16 points to push the set to game point. The Owls would put together a furious run, fending off game point nine straight times to cut the deficit to one. However, a service error by the Owls resulted in a set victory for the Lyons.
In another tightly contested set, the Owls found themselves in striking distance once again in set four, trailing by one point 23-22. Kills by senior Sarah Bishop (Rutland, Mass.) and Marion Abeja (Kumi, Uganda) would end the game and the match.
Shawna Crowley led the team in kills in game two with eleven while also providing eight digs. Sophomore Julia Bartiet (Cheshire, Conn.) also registered double-digit kills (10). Haradon totaled 24 digs and Dangel-Garcia had 29 assists.
Westfield State (6-20, 5-1 MASCAC), who currently find themselves tied for second place in the MASCAC standings, have two games remaining in the regular season. The Owls face-off against Bay Path in a non-conference game on Thursday at the Woodward Center at 7:00 P.M. Their next opponent will conclude the regular season as they visit conference foe Mass. Maritime at 5:00 P.M.