WESTFIELD – Junior setter Brigid Murray (King Philip/Norfolk, Mass.) handed out 28 assists to lead Westfield State women’s volleyball to its first win of the season as the Owls swept MCLA, 3-0 in North Adams on Tuesday night.
The visiting Owls nipped MCLA in the opening two sets and then claimed the third to sweep the Trailblazers 3-0 in the MASCAC opener for both schools. The Owls are now 1-7 overall and 1-0 in conference play. MCLA is now 3-6 on the season and 0-1 in the MASCAC.
The Owls took the first two sets by identical 26-24 scores before closing out the match with a 25-19 third set win.
BRIGID MURRAY
Senior hitter Jen Green (Shepherd Hill/Charlton, Mass.) paced the Owl attack with 12 kills on 30 attacks. Murray set up the offense all night to the tune of 28 assists. Sophomore libero Lizzie Taylor (Medfield, Mass.) had a team best 14 digs and collected 4 aces on the night.
In the opening set, MCLA opened up a 20-16 lead after an Owl attack error. MCLA returned the favor with a service error and Taylor served up five straight points to give the Owls a 22-20 lead. The teams would trade points and when another attack error gave MCLA a 24-23 lead with the serve, the Trailblazers had an opportunity. However a service error tied it at 24-24 and then a Karolyn Higgins (Billerica) kill and another MCLA attack error gave the Owls a 1-0 lead.
The second set was more of the same. Early on MCLA led 9-4 before the Owls came storming back. They’d eventually tie it up at 12-12 and from there neither side led by more than two points. After an Allison Clark kill for MCLA it was 24-24 with the serve. Green produced a kill to give WSU the lead and a Trailblazer attack error ended the set and the Owls led 2-0.
Set three was tied at 16-16 before the Owls ran off a 9-3 spurt to close it out and score the victory.
MCLA was led by Clark’s game high 13 kills on 25 attacks. Beatrice Lechler and Taylor Wiese set up the offense with 17 and 13 assists respectively. Chanielle Enomoto had 12 digs while Clark chipped in with 11.
The Trailblazers were done in by 21 attack errors and hit just .111.
Westfield will host Mitchell College on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. at the Woodward Center. – Courtesy of Westfield State University Sports
