The Westfield State women’s volleyball team celebrates. (WESTFIELD STATE PHOTO)
WESTFIELD – The Westfield State women’s volleyball team defeated the Bay Path Wildcats in straight sets (25-14, 25-9, 25-7) in the Owls final regular season home game at the Woodward Center on Thursday.
The non-conference win lifts the Owls to 7-20 overall and 5-2 at home, the Wildcats fall to 4-16.
The Owls were led offensively by Bridgette McAndrews’ (Longmeadow, Mass./ Longmeadow) 12 kills and four aces. Westfield dominated the service line registering 14 aces on the night. Shawna Crowley (Billerica, Mass./ Billerica Memorial) picked up 11 kills and nine digs in the win.
Julia Dangel-Garcia (Ashland, Mass./ Ashland) fed the Owl attack with a match-high 33 assists and senior captain, Jessica Haradon (Mansfield, Mass./ Mansfield), picked up 12 digs.
Bay Path’s offence was paced by seven kills from Lydia Clifford (Coventry, R.I./ Coventry) and 10 assists from Kiana Ortiz (Springfield, Mass./ Springfield Central). Joanna Bampi (Peabody, Mass./ Peabody Memorial) posted a match-high 13 digs.
OWLS POST SEVENTH STRAIGHT VICTORY: Westfield State senior Jenn Rennich (Bedford, Mass.) scored twice as the Owls women’s soccer team picked up its seventh straight win of the season after a 4-0 victory over Plymouth State on a Wednesday night at Alumni Field. The win puts the Owls at 12-4-1 overall (6-0 in MASCAC play).
Rennich opened the scoring in the 10th minute as junior Marissa Jacob (Holden, Mass.) sent a crossing pass into the box where Rennich collected and fired into the lower corner of the goal.
The Panthers would keep the game tight until the 64th minute where Owls first-year Delaney Parker (Orange, Mass.) was awarded a penalty kick after a foul in the box. The initial shot was denied by Panthers goalkeeper Elena Register (Helena, Ala.) but the ball deflected right back to Parker who converted on the second opportunity for her nation-leading 26th goal of the season.
The Owls would pad the lead from there as first-year Bella Parrotte (East Greenbush, N.Y.) would send a missile from twenty yards out into the top right corner of the net to extend the lead. Rennich then added her second goal of the game at the 77th minute as she dribbled the ball down the far sideline, made a defender miss and placed a shot low and away for the score. It was Rennich’s eighth goal in her last four contests.
Register piled up fifteen saves for the Panthers and senior Taylor Siewierski (Colebrook, N.H.) led all Plymouth players with two shots on net. Owls keeper Lauryn Davis (Templeton, Mass.) collected five saves in her second complete shutout of the year (five overall).
The Owls out-shot the Panthers 31-10 and also held the advantage of shots on goal (19-5). – Courtesy of Westfield State University
