Volleyball Falls to Wellesley, 3-0

WELLESLEY, Mass. -- Wellesley Volleyball extended its win streak to six straight -- and 10 of the last 11 -- with a 3-0 sweep (25-14, 25-9, 25-16) over Bridgewater State on Saturday at Keohane Sports Center. The win lifts the Blue to 16-6 overall. The Bears drop to 8-15.

Wellesley capitalized on aggressive quick attacks to grab a 6-0 lead to open the match. The Bears trimmed the lead to 15-10, but a five-point run for the Blue put the game out of reach as Wellesley coasted to a 25-14 win. 

Wellesley carried the momentum into set two, building a 9-3 advantage in the opening rallies. The Blue, who hit .391 in the set, then used solid defense and high-percentage hitting to race to a 25-9 win.

Bridgewater State re-grouped in set three, trading sideouts to a 7-7 tie. But Wellesley used an 11-2 run, including seven points from the service line from Watson, to seize the momentum in route to a 25-16, straight-set win.

Tayler Beck had a solid outing for the visitors, with eight kills while hitting .444. Sarah Mullarkey added five kills while Danielle Dean chipped in three kills and nine digs. Melanie Appleman recorded 15 assists in the loss.

Outside hitters Kellyn O'Brady and Sydney Carfagno led a balanced attack for the Blue, tallying nine and eight kills, respectively. Eleven players notched kills in the match, including Jenna Watson with six, and Megan Mills, Jessica Mullen, and Kira Jordan with four a piece. Vivian Hu led all diggers with 14; Traci Hamanaka added 12. Hilary Ayers and Isabel Custodio combined for 39 assists in the win, guiding the Blue to a .302 hitting percentage for the match.

The Bears return to action on Tuesday at 7pm, when they host Worcester State in a key MASCAC match-up. Wellesley will take the court on Tuesday at 7:30pm, when they host Babson College in NEWMAC competition.