SALEM, Mass. —The Vikings of Salem State (5-16) hosted a tri-meet between the Fighting Scots of Gordon College (14-13) and the Lancers of Worcester State University (23-8) on Saturday afternoon at Twohig Gymnasium. The Fighting Scots won both matches on the day, earning a (25-18, 25-16, 25-23) shutout over the Lancers and a (23-25, 25-15, 25-17, 25-11) win over the Vikings in game three. Worcester State went 1-1 on the day sweeping the Vikings in game one while losing to Gordon 3-0 in game two. Salem State exited the meet winless. Gordon improved to over .500 for the first time since they were 7-6 two months ago.
Gordon 3 Worcester State 0
The Fighting Scots showed resilience in set three by going on a 6-0 run late in the set to tie the match at 23-23. After an infraction by a Lancers middle back, and a Meghan Hokanson (Coon Rapids, Minn.) kill, Gordon found themselves up 24-23, forcing a Worcester State timeout.
Jessica Burdick (Brewerton, N.Y.) tallied her eighth kill on the final play securing a 3-0 win over the Lancers. Laura Schmidt (Stuart, Fla.) led the Fighting Scots with 11 kills and also recorded four digs. Joy Kimmel's (Madison, Conn.) efforts were essential in Gordon's triumph as she distributed 27 assists and 14 digs. Maggie Risma (Hudson, Ohio) helmed the defense adding 17 digs.
Jasper picked up 12 kills along the way to compliment her 11 digs while Lewis centered the offense again in game two with 27 assists.
Gordon 3 Salem State 1
After losing the first set by just two, the Fighting Scots rallied to win three straight sets. Jenna Labbadia (Berlin, Conn.) and Schmidt combined for 23 kills for Gordon as they totaled 50 as a team. Kimmel had another impressive game for the Fighting Scots recording an astounding 42 assists in the win.
Peay led all scorers with 15 kills while Jerika Santiago (Methuen, Mass.) helped out with nine kills for the Vikings'. Forcaciari totaled 28 assists on the match, but the Vikings offense could not finish as they were outscored 50-32. However, Salem State limited its errors, which kept the match competitive.
Recap courtesy of Salem State Sports InfoRoger Williams University has claimed the top seed for the 2014 Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) volleyball championship, which begins with quarterfinal matchups on campus sites Tuesday, November 4.
The Hawks (20-5 overall) earned the top seed in the conference tournament after posting a perfect 8-0 record in CCC play and will earn a bye in Tuesday's quarterfinal round. RWU is currently ranked third in the most recent NCAA Division III New England regional rankings and received votes in the latest AVCA Coaches top-25 poll.
Second-seeded Western New England University (19-11 overall, 7-1 CCC) will also earn a bye in the quarterfinals.
Two quarterfinal contests will be played Tuesday at 7:00 p.m., as #3 seed Salve Regina University (18-9, 6-2) will host #6 seed Gordon (14-13, 2-6), while #4 seed Endicott College (15-15, 5-3) will host #5 seed University of New England (11-15, 4-4). Both matches will begin at 7:00 p.m.
CCC tiebreaking procedures were used to determine the number six seed, as both Gordon and Wentworth posted identical 2-6 records in CCC play. The Fighting Scots earned the advantage by virtue of a 3-0 victory in the teams' October 28 meeting.
Quarterfinal winners will advance to the semifinal round which will be played on Thursday, November 6. Top-seeded Roger Williams will host the winner of the Endicott vs. University of New England quarterfinal, while #2 seed Western New England will host the winner of the Salve Regina vs. Gordon quarterfinal contest. Both semifinal matches will start at 7:00 p.m.
Semifinal winners will square off for the conference championship on Saturday, November 8 at the site of the higher seed at a time to be announced.
Tournament Bracket
2014 CCC VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
All Start Times Subject to Change
Quarterfinals • Tuesday, November 4
#6 Gordon (14-13, 2-6) at #3 Salve Regina (18-9, 6-2), 7:00 p.m.
#5 University of New England (11-15, 4-4) at #4 Endicott (15-5, 5-3), 7:00 p.m.
Semifinals • Thursday, November 6
#4/5 winner at #1 Roger Williams (20-5, 8-0), 7:00 p.m.
#3/6 winner at #2 Western New England (19-11, 7-1), 7:00 p.m.
Championship Match • Saturday, November 8
Semifinal Winners, TBA (at higher seed)
