Women's Volleyball Sinks Mass. Maritime with a 3-1 Victory

CHICOPEE, Mass. - The Elms College Women's Volleyball team hosted Massachusetts Maritime Academy for a non-conference match on Thursday evening.

BASICS
Score: Elms College 3 (25, 20, 25, 25) | Massachusetts Maritime Academy 1 (17, 25, 20, 22)
Records: Blazers 4-2, 0-0 (GNAC) | Buccaneers 1-5, 0-0 (MASCAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED

The opening set would begin with the two intrastate opponents battling for the early lead, seeing back-to-back kills from first year Naiima Mack (Baltimore, Md.). After the score was even at three-points each, Mass. Maritime would take the first lead, outscoring Elms 9-6, until senior Alysha Izquierdo (Holyoke, Mass.) would start the 11-point rally with a kill, followed by three service aces from graduate student Alyssa Moore (Ludlow, Mass.), two more kills from Izquierdo, along with kills by Mack and senior Angelica Marks (Miami, Fla.). The two teams would continue to battle for the lead, but Elms would capitalize on kills from Izquierdo, Marks, and sophomore Olivia Rivera (Springfield, Mass.) to win the opening set 25-17.

The second set would see the Buccaneers would earn the early advantage, but the Blazers would not go away, seeing Mack and Marks each record a kill and a block. As the set continued, MMA would continue to hold their lead over Elms, but the Blazers offense would continue to keep themselves within an arms length from the lead, with the assistance of kills by junior Lilliana Simmons (Springfield, Mass), Marks, Izquierdo, Rivera, and Mack, along with a service ace from senior Jaylen Holman (Las Cruces, N.M.), to then tie the set 14-14. The two teams would continue to battle to the very end, with Marks making another block and Izquierdo recording a pair of kills, but Mass. Maritime would take the second set 25-20 to tie the match 1-1.

The third set would once again begin with the two intrastate foes battling early, with a 6-6 tie following a kill by Holman. Elms would continue to add to their lead with the assistance of three kills from Izquierdo, a service ace by Moore, and additional kills from Holman and Rivera to take a five-point lead. Unfortunately, the Buccaneers would rally back to take a short-lived lead until a kill by Izquierdo and a block from Mack and Marks would help the Blazers win their second set 25-20.

The fourth and final set would begin like the previous sets, seeing Mass. Maritime and Elms battle for early lead starting with a 3-3 tie. The Blazers would then take the first advantage, after three straight kills from Marks, Izquierdo, and first year Samantha Haug (Union, N.J.). The two sides would continue to battle for the remainder of the set, but the Elms offense would not give up their lead, with the assistance of kills by Simmons, Rivera, Marks, Holman, and Izquierdo, along with a pair of service aces from Holman, and blocks by Simmons to win the set 25-22 and to win the match 3-1.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Haug - 20 digs and a kill.

• Holman - 37 assists, 25 digs, three kills, three service aces, and would reach 2,000 career assists.

• Izaquierdo - 20 kills, 12 digs, and an assist.

• Mack - five kills, three digs, and two block assists.

• Marin - a dig.

• Marks - eight kills, three blocks, and three digs.

• Moore - 27 digs, four service aces, and two assists.

• Palacios - six digs.

• Rivera - four kills and a dig.

• Simmons - four digs, two kills, and a block.

UP NEXT: The Elms Women's Volleyball team will travel to Fitchburg, Mass. on Saturday, September 13th to compete in a non-conference tri-match against Fitchburg State University and Gordon College at 1 & 3 pm.

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