Lancers Down AMCATS, 3-1

PAXTON, Mass.—The Worcester State University volleyball team was victorious in a 3-1 non-conference match against the AMCATS of Anna Maria College that saw 12 lead changes and 32 ties over the four-set contest. Set scores were 26-24, 25-21, 24-26, and 25-22.

With the loss, Anna Maria falls to 15-14, while the win boosts Worcester State to 11-15.

In the first set, the AMCATS held a 10-point lead at 23-13 before Worcester State rallied off ten-straight points to give the visitors a 24-23 lead. The Lancers rally began with three-straight service aces from Katrina Kangwijaya (Dunstable, Mass.). Kangwijaya served 11 balls in-a-row without making an error; her streak was ended on a kill by Anna Maria's Jessica Goulet (Lawrence, Mass.) that evened the score at 24, but last week's MASCAC Player of the Week, Jennifer Cabral (Swansea, Mass.), registered back-to-back kills to claim the 26-24 win for Worcester State.

The two teams traded points in the early goings of the second set, trading seven ties and four lead changes. The AMCATS held a three-point lead at 13-10 midway through the frame. The Lancers chipped their way back, eventually tying the score at 14 on a service ace by last week's MASCAC Rookie of the Week, Elexi Miskiv (Centerville, Mass.). Worcester Sate took over from there, never relinquishing the raced to the 25-21 victory.

The AMCATS used 16 kills, including six from Goulet, to claim the 26-24 victory in the third set. The AMCATS trailed for most of the set but hung close with the Lancers, finally tying the score at 24 before using a kill by Rebecca Foti (Bedford, Mass.) to take the final lead change at 25-24. An attack error on the Lancers side of the net sealed the victory for the AMCATS. The third set saw eight ties and three lead changes.

The Lancers took a 15-10 lead midway through the fourth set when Anna Maria began their comeback, using a six-serve stretch by Demi Carrero (Mamaroneck, N.Y.) to even the score at 17. The score would knot at 19, 20, and 22 before the Lancers capitalized on an AMCAT service error and added a kill to take a two-point, 24-22 lead. The 25^th point was decided under controversy, eventually siding with the Lancers following a lengthy discussion.

Cabral had an impressive day for Worcester State, tallying a game-high 18 kills and 25 digs in the victory. Cabral registered a .229 attack percentage on the evening – second to Kangwijaya who went 1-for-1 on the night. Miskiv chipped in with 19 digs, while Jamika Townsend dished out 40 assists for the Lancers. Junior Valerie Hoyle (Bridgewater, Mass.) had a team-high three solo blocks, while senior Meghan Deighan (Lynnfield, Mass.) added in two (one solo).

Goulet led the AMCATS with 16 kills and five solo blocks, while freshman Amari King (Lawrence, Mass.) chipped in with 10. Defensively, Anna Maria totaled 80 digs, led by Samantha Parker (Athol, Mass.) with 16 and Carrero with 15. As a team, the AMCATS totaled 11 blocks, including three crucial blocks to take the lead in the fourth set.

Next up, the AMCATS host Mount Ida and Norwich in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) tri-match on Friday afternoon. Match times are at 4:00, 6:00, and 8:00 p.m. The Lancers travel to Framingham State for their last regular season matchup for a 6:30 p.m. MASCAC match on Friday.

Release Courtesy of Anna Maria Sports Information