WESTFIELD, Mass. – First-year Sydney Cummins (Nicholasville, Ky.) and junior Emma Nihill (Chandler, Ariz.) combined for 27 kills, but the Owls dropped a four-set match against Roger Williams (24-26, 14-25, 25-23, 19-25) on Saturday afternoon from Waltham, Mass.

Cummins posted a game-high 14 kills followed closely behind by Emma Nihill who logged 13 kills. The Owls produced 41 kills as a team.

Julia Dangel-Garcia (Ashland, Mass.) and Morgan Dority (Walpole, Mass.) shared the facilitating responsibilities with Dangel-Garcia recording 17 assists and chipped in ten digs while Dority collected 13 helpers. Chloe Schuld (Sycamore, Ill.) led the Owls with 15 digs.

Six Roger Williams players recorded three or more kills headlined by Kaylee Jackson (Naugatuck, Conn.) and Brianna Picchietti (Batavia, Ill.) with nine kills apiece. Emma Bosco (North Andover, Mass.) supplied a game-leading 18 assists while Marianna Hernandez (Norwalk, Conn.) dug out 11 Owls attacking plays in the back.

With set one tied at 23 apiece, Erica Majka (Agawam, Mass.) delivered an ace for the Owls, bringing them to set point. However, the Hawks scrapped across three straight points after a pair of kills from Picchietti and Angela West (Riverview, Fla.) brought the Hawks to set point. An ace by Ava Mattiucci (North Kingston, R.I.) secured the set win for the Hawks, flipping the match's momentum as the Owls fell short in set two. 

A tightly contested third set concluded with a kill by Cummins to extend the match after a ninth set point for the Owls, forcing the match into a fourth set where the Hawks would pull away in the middle of the frame and hold on for the match win.

Westfield State will travel to Bay Path for their next match on Saturday, September 21 at 3:00 P.M.