By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Their Bridgewater State University volleyball journey began at the Tinsley Center on the night of Sept. 6, 2022.

Kim Gowell (Durham, N.H.), Meaghan Coutu (Brookline, N.H.) and Alexis Starks (Milford, Mass.) were on the court as freshmen that day, helping the Bears open the season with a 3-2 win over the University of New England.

Gowell, Coutu and Starks are now a long way from that debut match at BSU when they were wide-eyed teen-agers.

They are seniors who are nearing the final chapter of their BSU volleyball experience.

And what a four-year ride it has been for the trio.

They were three of seven freshmen on that '22 team and are the only ones who made it through all four seasons with the Bears.

Gowell, Coutu and Starks went through two losing seasons as freshmen and sophomores, going 9-11 and 4-13, respectively, and 3-4 and 2-5 in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference.

BSU was the No. 5 seed in the conference tournament both years and lost by 3-0 scores in the opening round.

The final two years for Gowell, Coutu and Starks, however, have been completely opposite.

The Bears have won back-to-back MASCAC tournament championships and are set to take part in a second straight NCAA Division III tourney.

BSU (17-4) plays at 20th-ranked Tufts University (22-5) at Cousens Gym in Medford, Mass., at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

After going a combined 13-24 and 5-9 in the MASCAC the first two years, the three seniors have been on teams that are 30-14 overall and 14-1 in the conference in the second half of their careers.

"I think we all just got kind of sick of losing and sick of any drama or negative energy," said Gowell, an outside hitter. "We all just wanted to make volleyball enjoyable. We're all here for a reason. We're all here to play the sport we love and we wanted to make it more fun."

The turnaround began in 2024 when BSU lost just once in the MASCAC, then won the tournament on the road, rallying to beat No. 1 seed Westfield State, 3-2.

That was followed by a trip to Baltimore, Md., for BSU's first NCAA game since 2008, a 3-0 loss to third-ranked Johns Hopkins.

"It was frustrating (the first two years)," said Starks, a middle hitter. "I feel like it just made us that much more hungrier. We know what it's like to be on both sides and we like it better being on the winning side.

"It was just putting the work in on and off the court, academically and in the gym, and just getting it done when we were all together.

"It was knowing we wanted to be winners. We were able to come together as a team to do what we need to get there."

For Coutu, an outside hitter and team captain, it has been enjoyable watching both the team and the four-year players transform into the top program in the MASCAC.

"It's crazy," said Coutu. "From freshman year to now, our team has grown so much together. Our coaches have recruited (tremendous) girls. We love each other as a family and a team and we just bond so well together.

"The first two years were a bit slow. I think we were all trying to mesh well together. It just got better and better."

When the Bears had back-to-back losing seasons at the start of their careers, it meant 12 consecutive sub-.500 seasons for the program.

Despite that, Gowell envisioned a turnaround coming after sophomore year.

"I saw a lot of hope for the future, for sure," said Gowell. "I was told by people in passing that by senior year, we'd be really good, that my freshman class had brought some energy and something different to Bridgewater to kind of turn things around.

"That's what coach Tony had told me when I toured here the first time. He really wanted to try to set an identity for Bridgewater volleyball and thought we could kind of help jump start that. I think, for sure, that has happened over the past couple of years."

Gowell started 14 of the 19 matches she appeared in as a freshman, but appeared in only eight games as a sophomore due to a stress fracture in her left tibia.

She returned in 2024 and was a key part of the first MASCAC title team in 16 years. This season, Gowell ranks fourth in the MASCAC with a .252 hitting percentage and is second for the Bears with 169 kills and fourth with 177.5 points.

Coutu has missed only five matches in four seasons, including two in the past three years.

She is third on the team with 25 blocks and fifth with 148.5 points this season.

Starks started 10 games as a freshman and has played 44 in her career. She is sixth on the team with 52 points this season.

"They've been great," said coach Tony daSilveira of his seniors. "I don't have a complaint about them. They show up, communicate with the teammates well, cheer when they're on the court and off the court. They're about teamwork. They wanted it."

The seven players who were freshmen in '22 became six in 2023, five in 2024 and then the remaining trio this fall.

"Growing up from my freshman year to senior year, the three of us -- me, Kim and Lexi -- we stuck through it all and now we're here going to the NCAAs again," said Coutu.

The three have leaned on each other during four seasons, helping each other as they navigated ups and downs.

"It's great knowing there's other people that have gone through similar things as you," said Starks. "They started where you started. Just being able to see them grow into players and friends and grow relationships on and off the court, it's been pretty amazing."

Said Gowell, "It's been really special. We get to bond with one another over the fact we stuck together through this. We started out with a group of seven freshmen and now it's down to just the three of us as seniors. It's been really nice to see our growth together and just to see what we've been able to do as a team together."

The BSU program is a long way from where it was on that September night in 2022 when Gowell, Coutu and Starks suited up to play a collegiate match for the first time.

They have won two conference tournament titles, one MASCAC regular-season crown and are preparing for another visit to the NCAAs.

"It's so, so satisfying," said Gowell. "We mesh now in ways that I don't think we ever could have in the past. We see each other and care for one another as individuals and not just teammates. It feels like a family environment that we're really fostering."

Said Starks, "It's great to be part of this experience. We were able to go back-to-back this year and hopefully next year, these girls can take it and keep building the program up. These are the best two years I've had here. The chemistry has been amazing and we always pick each other up."