The women’s volleyball team played their third home game of the season Tuesday night, soundly defeating the Fitchburg State University Falcons in straight sets. The Lasers improved to 6-8 thanks to a strong team effort led by sophomores Camila Lopez and Madalyn Scully.
Scully, who was a setter during the match, says the Lasers used a new lineup. “We just tried the lineup yesterday and an hour before the match,” said Scully.
Despite the sudden lineup change, head coach Jeff Vautrin and his hard-working squad won every set by at least fourteen points. Earning ten kills was Camila Lopez, who also tied sophomore outside hitter Emily VanHouten with a team-high seven kills.
In the first set, the Lasers were at a standstill with the Falcons until sophomore outside hitter McKenna McCool broke the game open with a few spikes of her own. The Lasers never looked back as they were able to win the set 25-10.
During the second set, the Lasers picked up right where they left off, leaving the Falcons in the dust. After back-to-back timeouts by head coach Brett Pettis, it was evident that the Falcons were exhausted. Leading the charge was sophomore outside hitter Hope McFall, who clinched a win for her team with a service ace. More impressive though, was the Lasers’ defense which only gave up seven points.
After going up two sets to none, every student in the Athletic Center rose to their feet. “The energy was crazy,” said Scully. “The bench was outstanding tonight,” she added.
Once the third set came around, there was no stopping the Lasers’ attack. But even with such dominant offensive possessions, it was hard to ignore that the Falcons’ first-year outside hitter, Stephanie Sardella, was being held to five points. The former Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Women's Volleyball Rookie of the Week was coming off a hot stretch where she had 25 kills, four service aces, 37 digs, three assists, and one solo block.
The Falcons received great leadership and effort from captains Samantha Mirra and Meredith Taylor but were unable to hold off the Lasers as they were defeated in the third set 25-11. The last point was credited to first-year libero Autumn Walker.
After the game, Scully was asked about her role on the team, “it is very demanding, but it is definitely worth it. I feel like I have learned a lot as a person and a player,” she said.
The Lasers will take on UMass Dartmouth in Dartmouth, Massachusetts at 6 p.m. on Thursday, with hopes of cruising by the