Game 1: Bridgewater State 2, Westfield State 3 (25-9, 17-25, 25-9, 23-25, 15-5)
The Owls kicked off their Senior Day tri-match with a close win over Bridgewater, winning in five sets in the first of three games from the Woodward Center on Saturday morning.
The Owls moved to 5-0 overall in the MASCAC with the victory. The Bears slide to 1-4 in the league.
Both teams traded set victories throughout the contest with the Owls dominating sets one and three only to see the Bears force a fifth set. Westfield managed to distance themselves in the final set with the Owls scoring nine of ten points in the middle stages of the frame to pull away with a ten-point win.
Bridgette McAndrews (Longmeadow, Mass.) led all players with 13 kills and 16 digs. Julia Dangel-Garcia (Ashland, Mass.) recorded a team-high 23 assists. Michaela O'Connor (Shrewsbury, Mass.) poured on 16 digs.
Lily Welch (Hanson, Mass.) led the Bears with 10 kills. Bethany Votta (Cumberland, R.I.) posted 33 of Bridgewater's 41 assists, while Lilly Misay (New Bedford, Mass.) provided 16 digs.
Prior to the start of the match, Westfield State honored their five seniors: Bridgette McAndrews, Julia Bartiet, Michaela O'Connor, Julia Dangel-Garcia, and Lizi Buron.
Game 2: Bridgewater State 0, Bay Path 3 (25-22, 25-18, 25-15)
Bay Path overpowered Bridgewater in the first two sets but fell behind 15-10 in the third. Lilly Kibbs toed the service line for a 10-0 run that sealed the straight sets win. Kibbs landed 4 service aces during that run.
The Wildcats were led by Anastaya Tsetko's 13 kills, Michelle Santiago's 13 assists and Kibb's five service aces. On the defensive side, Zylasia Knighton grabbed 12 digs and the team posted 14 block assists.
Meaghan Coutu and Lily Welch paced the Bear's offense in the setback landing eight and seven kills respectively. Lilly Misay posted a team-high three aces and a game-high 13 digs in the setback.
The Bears fall to 3-11 on the season after a pair of losses. Bridgewater's next game will be home against MCLA on Wednesday, October 25 for a 6:00 P.M. start time.
Game 3: Bay Path 1, Westfield 3 (29-27, 25-21, 17-25, 26-24)
The Owls were able to win a heavily contested first two sets. Bay Path responded with a win in the third set, but the Owls regrouped and finished the game with a win in the fourth set with Westfield ripping off seven of the last eight points in the fourth set to sneak away with a 26-24 win.
Emma Nihill (Chandler, Ariz.) led Westfield with 13 kills. Morgan Dority (Walpole, Mass.) contributed 17 assists, and Erica Majka (Agawam, Mass.) compiled 26 digs.
Lilly Kibbe (Ware, Mass.) posted 14 kills, Michelle Santiago (Springfield, Mass.) chipped in 21 helpers with Zyiasia Knighton (Springfield, Mass.) registering 29 digs.
Westfield State improves to 7-15 overall after a pair of victories. The Wildcats sit at 10-8 after splitting their contests.
The Owls' next game will be at Mass. Maritime in conference play on Thursday, October 26 at 7:00 P.M. Bay Path's next game will be at Holyoke Community College on Thursday, September 26 for a 7:00 P.M. start time.
