Sept. 23, 2010

Box Score

BOSTON, Mass. - The Emmanuel College women's volleyball team defeated Framingham State College, 3-1 in a hard fought, evenly matched contest on Thursday evening at the Jean Yawkey Center in Boston, Mass.

The Saints moved to 4-7 on the season while the Rams fell to 10-7.

The Saints and the Rams played evenly to start the match, locking up at 10-10 in the first set. Framingham State senior Ashley Trudeau (Rockland, Mass.) helped give the Rams a three point edge while on serve, increasing the visitors' lead in the first set to 15-12. Emmanuel responded with an ace to give the Saints a boost but Framingham State maintained strong play to make the score 20-14 before the home side called a timeout. The Rams would go on to take the opening frame, 25-15.

Emmanuel started the second set on the right foot, grabbing a quick 5-1 lead thanks to solid serving by sophomore Samantha Andazola (Queen Creek, Ariz.). Before the spectators could blink, the Saints had increased their lead to 11-4. The home squad kept strong pressure on the Rams throughout the set, eventually earning a 22-12 advantage but the visitors fought back, taking the next three points before the Saints called a timeout to regroup. The stoppage in play gave the Rams a chance to regroup and the score stood at 24-20 before yet another timeout needed to be taken. The Saints gathered together and found the small spark needed, finishing with a 25-20 win to even the match at one set apiece.

The third set started as evenly as before with Emmanuel finding a small edge to take a 9-6 lead thanks to an ace from junior Kathryne Olsen (Fairhaven, Mass.). The Saints bolstered their lead to 18-11 off a powerful kill by Andazola and moved ahead 20-14 in the set. True to the flow of the match, the Rams rebounded to pull within three points and set the score at 22-19 before the Saints used a timeout. One final mishit by the Rams gave the Saints a 25-22, third set win and a 2-1 edge in sets for the match.

The Saints jumped out to fast 9-6 lead in the fourth set, bumping that total to 20-11 before long but the Rams stormed back to make it 21-17. Junior Rebecca Stanton (Quincy, Mass.) helped push the Saints forward with a key block at the end, leading to an eventual 25-19 win in the fourth set and Emmanuel's fourth victory on the season.

Leading the way for the Saints was Andazola and junior Jenna Ross (Centerburg, Ohio) who each notched 14 kills for Emmanuel in the win. Olsen tallied a team high 40 assists on the day while sophomore Yun-Ting Lee's (Cambridge, Mass.) 21 digs were also tops for the squad. Stanton also added five blocks for the Saints.

The Rams were led by senior Jessi Goode (Marston Mills, Mass.) who recorded 37 digs for the match. Trudeau helped boost the Rams' offense with 14 kills while senior Lauren Kasischke (Methuen, Mass.) and freshman Andressa Fernandes (Framingham, Mass.) each tallied eight kills as well.

The Saints will next travel to match-up with Saint Joseph College (Conn.) and Emerson College this Saturday at noon and 2:00 p.m., respectively.