Falcons Take 3-2 Victory Over Vikings

FITCHBURG, Mass. -- Salem State women's volleyball kicked off their three-game road stint tonight when they traveled to Fitchburg State University tonight to take on the Falcons in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) matchup. After five sets the Falcons came out victorious with a 3-2 win to keep Salem State in search of their first conference victory.  

How it Happened: 

• Presley Shairs (Salem, Mass.) came out strong for the Vikings early on, scoring three of their first five points to keep the Falcons' lead within reach at 6-5. Shortly after, Bella Coccia tied the game at 10 before Kailey Roche (Billerica, Mass.) delivered back-to-back service aces to give the Vikings their first lead of the match at 12-10. The Vikings maintained their momentum and stretched their advantage to four (15-11) points, prompting the Falcons to call a timeout. 
• The Falcons found their rhythm after the timeout, regaining a 19-18 lead. However, the Vikings quickly countered with a strong 7-2 run, highlighted by four kills from Shairs, to secure the first set with a score of 25-21. 
• The second set began with both teams trading points until the Falcons managed to score five unanswered points to take a 15-9 lead. Shairs halted their momentum with a kill, but the Falcons continued to dominate, limiting the Vikings to just three more points before taking the decisive 25-13 victory, leveling the match at one set apiece. 
• The third set opened with a pair of aces from Roche, giving the Vikings an early 2-0 lead before a tightly contested battle ensued until Salem managed four unanswered points, spearheaded by two kills from Ariana Barrows (Danvers, Mass.), to take the slight 19-15 advantage.  
• Despite trailing by as many as five points, the Falcons rallied with a 7-0 run to give them a 23-21 lead and force the Vikings to take a timeout. The regroup worked in favor of the Vikings, as they came out strong, scoring four unanswered points to clinch set three and move within one set of victory. 
• Salem jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the fourth set, but the Falcons quickly countered with a 4-0 run to take the lead. Midway through the set and behind another impressive 7-0 run, the Falcons were able to pull ahead before ultimately securing a 25-11 victory and forcing a decisive fifth set. 
• The Vikings took the lead on the opening serve, but that would be their only advantage in the final set. The Falcons took control, racking up nine kills to dominate the fifth set and clinch a 15-7 victory. This win secured a hard-fought 3-2 victory for the Falcons over the Vikings. 

Inside the Numbers:

• Presley Shairs led the Vikings with 19 kills while accounting for 23.5 of the Vikings' points tonight.  
• Eva Haralabatos (Melrose, Mass.) had a season-high 23 assists, marking her fourth consecutive match with double-digit assists.  
• Kailey Roche recorded 26 digs in the match, marking her fourth performance this season with 20 or more digs. 

Up Next: 

Salem State will travel to Boston, Massachusetts this Friday, November 1st to take on Fisher College at 7 p.m.