Owls Win Streak Snapped in Five Set Setback Vs. Bridgewater

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State senior Emily Washkalavitch (Oxford, Pa.) registered 16 kills and five aces, but the Owls could not hold on to a two sets to none lead, falling in five sets against Bridgewater State in a MASCAC clash from the Woodward Center in Westfield, Mass. on Saturday afternoon.

The Owls five game winning streak was snapped today, falling to 6-8 overall and 1-1 in the conference. The Bears pick up a signature road win in league play, advancing to 8-3 on the year and 2-0 in the MASCAC.

The flow of the match was similar to the meeting between the two sides at last year's MASCAC Championship game with the Owls storming out to a two set lead before the Bears came roaring from behind. Westfield was able to open a five point lead midway through the first set after an ace from Allie Hill (St. Clair Shores, Mich.) made it an 18-13 lead. Bridgewater would trim the deficit to a single point before four consecutive points capped by another ace from Washkalavitch pushed the Owls lead back to five at 22-17.

Another Bears charge cut the Owl lead to one point before Westfield got two of the final three points on a service error, then kill from Hanna Nihill (Chandler, Ariz.).

Tied at nine all in the second set, the Owls racked up six of the next seven points for a 15-10 advantage then another six points in a seven point span at the end of the set to take the two set lead.

A back and forth third set culminated in a 24-24 score with the Owls in control of the serve. Bridgewater cleanly received the serve, then later in the point got a kill from Alexis Starks (Milford, N.H.) to move a potential match point into set point for the Bears. On the next point, Ava Crane (Dartmouth, Mass.) slammed home a winner, sending the match to a fourth set.

Bridgewater carried momentum into the fourth set, scoring nine of the first 13 points to jump out to a 9-4 lead. Trailing 16-12, the Owls answered with four consecutive points: a pair of aces from Hill sandwiched between kills from Mary Heneghan (Round Rock, Texas) and Washkalavitch. Despite the comeback, the Bears commanded the back end of the set with nine of the final 12 points to force a decisive fifth frame.

The Owls were playing on the defensive for the majority of the fifth set after surrendering the first four points of the fifth set off two aces and two attacking errors. Westfield made several efforts to retake the lead, cutting the deficit to two points on multiple occasions. However, the Bears would not relinquish the lead for the entirety of the set, sending Bridgewater home victorious.

Emma Nihill (Chandler, Ariz.), playing in her game since August 30 after missing time due to injury, recorded 11 kills as the second Owl player in double figures. Morgan Dority (Walpole, Mass.) generated 31 assists and Erica Majka (Agawam, Mass.) delivered 11 digs.

Crane led all players in kills (17) and digs (13) with a strong .351 hitting percentage. Lily Welch (Hanson, Mass.) and Meaghan Coutu (Brookline, N.H.) both reached double digit kills as well. Xin Ai Robinson (Kaiserslautern, Germany) piled up 31 assists.

Westfield State will look to bounce back for their next game host Salem State in conference action on Wednesday at 7:00 P.M. from the Woodward Center. Bridgewater State visits Anna Maria for a MASCAC match on Thursday at 6:00 P.M.