SALEM, Mass. – The Salem State University volleyball team posted a 3-2 (25-20, 19-25, 25-21, 24-26, 16-14) victory over visiting Bridgewater State University in a tightly-contested Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) match on Saturday afternoon at the O'Keefe Center.

The Vikings improve to 6-7 on the season and 1-1 in the MASCAC, while the Bears fall to 2-6 overall and 0-2 in conference play.

Senior middle hitter Abigail O'Connor (Gilford, N.H.) notched a match-best 21 kills and a .455 hitting percentage to lead the way for Salem State. Sophomore outside hitter Presley Shairs (Salem, mass.) checked in with 17 kills, while junior setter Eva Haralabatos (Melrose, Mass.) and freshman setter Celia Carbone (Lynnfield, Mass.) combined for 39 assists. Carbone added 12 digs and Haralabatos posted three aces. Sophomore libero Kailey Roche (Billerica, Mass.) contributed a match-high 26 digs as well as four aces.

Senior setter Bethany Votta (Cumberland, R.I.) dished out a career-high 40 assists and added six aces and 16 digs for Bridgewater State, while sophomore right side Meaghan Coutu (Brookline, N.H.) registered a career-high 17 kills to go along with seven digs and freshman middle hitter Lily Welch (Whitman, Mass.) notched 13 kills, six digs and three solo blocks. Senior middle hitter Abigail Reardon (Fairhaven, Mass.) ten kills, four aces and seven digs. Freshman libero Lilly Misay (New Bedford, Mass.) paced the BSU defensive effort with 25 digs.

The Vikings never trailed in the opening set. Salem used an 8-0 run to open a 21-13 lead and coasted to the 25-15 win. Shairs and O'Connor tallied four kills apiece in the opening set while freshman defensive specialist Kenzie Currey (Bel Air, Md.) recorded a pair of aces. Both aces came during the 8-0 run.

The visitors turned the tables in the second set as the Bears never trailed in the stanza. Clinging to a 16-13 lead, Bridgewater used a 5-1 run to seemingly take control. An ace by Reardon and a Welch kill highlighted the run. Out of a timeout, the Vikings reeled off five straight points on the strength of a pair of O'Connor kills to close the gap to 21-19. The Bears regrouped with sophomore right side Abigail Knight (Berkley, Mass.), Welch and Coutu (two) scoring the final four points, all on kills, to take the set, 25-19. Coutu finished with five kills in the session.

Salem bounced back with 25-21 win in the third set to take a 2-1 lead in the match. The Vikings broke a 6-6 tie with a 6-0 run and maintained a lead throughout the remainder of the set. Shairs notched five kills in the frame while freshman outside hitter Haley Phillips (Haverhill, Mass.) recorded five aces.

Bridgewater held off a late Salem rally in the fourth set as the Bears hung on for a 26-24 victory to even the match at 2-2. The visitors led 23-15 following a Sarah Brogioli (So., Milford, Mass.) kill. The Vikings then put together a 9-1 run, highlighted by two kills from O'Connor and two aces by Roche, to even the set at 24-24. Out of a BSU timeout, Salem committed back-to-back attacking errors to give the Bears the set.

The decisive fifth set was close throughout with neither team leading by more than three points. A kill by Coutu gave Bridgewater a 14-11 lead and match-point. The Bears, however, would not score again as the Vikings closed out the match with five straight points. O'Connor jumpstarted and closed out the match-deciding run with kills while sophomore outside hitter Gracie Dailey (Peabody, Mass.) notched a pair of aces.

Salem registered 51 kills and posted a .217 hitting percentage. The Vikings notched 19 aces and 12 serving errors.

Bridgewater finished with 50 kills and a .173 hitting percentage. The Bears tallied 13 aces and 11 serving errors.

The MASCAC schedule continues for both teams on Wednesday evening. The Bears entertain the Lancers of Worcester State University at six o'clock while the Vikings travel to Westfield State University for a seven o'clock match with the Owls.