Volleyball Rallies Past Fisher, 3-1

By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University volleyball team improved to 3-0 at home with a non-conference win Wednesday night.

The Bears defeated Fisher College of Boston, 3-1, winning three straight sets after dropping the opener to the Falcons at the Tinsley Center.

Fisher won the opener, 28-26, before the Bears rallied for wins of 25-12, 25-14 and 25-20.

BSU improved to 6-2 while Fisher is 5-2. It was the second meeting between the two programs with the Bears losing last season, 3-0.

Junior Lily Welch (Hanson, Mass.) contributed a career-high 17 kills to go along with 16 digs and four blocks in the win.

Junior Ava Crane (Dartmouth, Mass.) chipped in with 12 kills, 12 digs and game-high six aces. Crane also led all players with a .476 hitting percentage.

Junior Xin Ai Robinson (Kaiserslautern, Germany) had 28 assists and seven digs while sophomore Natalie Fredriksen (Plymouth, Mass.) added 15 assists and nine digs for BSU.

Senior Meaghan Coutu (Brookline, N.H.) added eight kills and six digs while senior Kim Gowell (Durham, N.H.) had eight kills.

The Bears had 49 assists, 14 service aces and a .246 hitting percentage. Welch, Fredriksen and sophomore Charlotte Sullivan (Hyannis, Mass.) tallied two aces apiece.

For Fisher, sophomore Alondra Farinacci (Ponce, Puerto Rico) had 31 assists, junior Sofia Campos (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) added 17 digs while sophomore Natalie Ramirez (Toa Alta, Puerto Rico) had 10 kills and five digs.

The Falcons pulled out to a 19-13 lead in the first set before two kills by Gowell and one by Welch helped get BSU within 19-17.

After Fisher went up, 23-19, an ace by sophomore Lauren Rubicine (Mansfield, Mass.) got the Bears within 23-22.

Two attack errors and a service error allowed BSU to pull even at 24, 25 and 26, but a service error and a kill by freshman Jeiris Velez (Carolina, Puerto Rico) gave Fisher the set.

BSU jumped to a 6-0 lead in the sescond set, getting a kill from Sullivan and taking advantage of four attack errors.

After Fisher sliced the deficit to 8-6, the Bears went back up, 11-6, getting kills from Welch and Gowell.

A service error enabled Fisher to move as close as 13-10 and the Bears were up, 16-11.

Five straight points pushed the lead to 21-11 and the Bears ended it with four straight kills.

In the third set, Crane, Welch, Coutu and Sullivan helped BSU take a quick 5-1 lead, and it was 9-3 after an ace by Fredriksen.

Crane had a kill to cap off a run and mak it 16-7 and the Bears were later in front, 20-9.

Fisher was as close as seven, but holding a 22-14 lead, BSU finished the set with three points in a row.

The Bears took a 6-0 lead in the fourth set, getting two kills from Welch, and went up, 11-3, on a kill by Crane.

The Falcons were down, 11-7, but a Welch kill put BSU up, 17-10. Fisher made it 19-17, sparked by Velez, and trailed, 20-19.

But BSU scored five of the final six points with Crane, Coutu, Welch and Sullivan getting kills.

The Bears travel to New Hampshire Saturday to play Plymouth State at noon.

Fisher will be at the Mass. Maritime Academy for a 5 p.m. game on Saturday.