Salem State Drops Road Contest at Worcester State, 3-1

THE BASICS 
Salem State, 1 at Worcester State 3 (25-21, 25-19, 18-25, 26-24)

Records: 
Worcester State University Lancers (5-14, 2-2 MASCAC)
Salem State University Vikings (6-11, 0-3 MASCAC)

Location: Worcester, Mass. - John P. Brissette '88 Court

Date: Friday, October 10, 2025

THE LEAD—  The Salem State University women's volleyball team dropped a hard-fought Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) matchup at Worcester State, 3-1 (25-21, 25-19, 18-25, 26-24), Friday evening. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Throughout the opening set, both sides went back and forth, not allowing the other to gain momentum. However, tied at 13, Worcester State gave itself breathing room with a 4-0 stretch (17-13) that led to a Salem State timeout. Coming out of the break, Salem pulled within one (17-16), highlighted by two Keira Doherty (Woburn, Mass.) service aces, causing the Lancers to call a timeout themselves.
• After the timeout, Worcester State once again pulled ahead by four (20-16), but the Vikings would not go quietly as the squad pulled within two (23-21) after a Bella Coccia (Westfield, Mass.) kill. Unfortunately, the hosts would go on to score the next two points and earn a 25-21 set one win.
• In the second set, Worcester State raced out to an early 8-4 lead, but the Vikings trimmed the deficit to one (8-7) thanks to a 4-1 rally. However, the Lancers continued to keep Salem out of reach and pushed its lead out to five (15-10), but once again, Salem continued to hang around. The Blue and Orange brought themselves within one (16-15) with a 5-1 stretch after taking advantage of multiple Lancers' errors. However, the hosts closed out the second set on a 9-4 run and secured a 25-19 set two win. 
• Salem's offense helped the squad get off to a fast start in the third set, opening with an 11-5 lead that prompted a Worcester State timeout. During the opening moments of the third, Sabina Kamanda (Dracut, Mass.) highlighted the early offense with a kill and ace.
• Coming out of the break, Worcester State made a late push and trimmed the deficit to two (16-14) courtesy of an 11-2 rally. However, the Vikings would not let the Lancers get any closer as the visitors outscored Worcester, 9-4 for the remainder of the third to win the set, 25-18.
• The Vikings offense continued its momentum into the fourth set as the squad raced out to an early 7-3 advantage, highlighted by two Kailey Roche (Billerica, Mass.) aces. However, Worcester State evened the contest at 16 courtesy of a 13-9 surge that led to a Salem State timeout.
• After the timeout, Worcester gave itself breathing room by going up 21-18. Despite the lead, Salem fought back and evened the contest at 21 after a Lancers attack error. From then on, both sides exchanged points, and with the set tied at 24, the hosts secured the match win, scoring the following two points for a 26-24 set four win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Both Ariana Barrows (Danvers, Mass.) and Coccia finished with a team-high nine kills for Salem.
• Celia Carbone (Lynnfield, Mass.) dished out a team-high 35 assists. It is her third time this season with 30 or more assists in a match. 
• Defensively, two different Vikings finished with 20 or more digs in Kamanda and Roche with 21 and 20, respectively. 
• Worcester State saw two Lancers finish with 10-plus kills, led by Reece Connors' 13 and Beatrice Gamboa-Estrella's 12.
• Michelle Iannacito finished with a match-high 37 helpers. 

UP NEXT

• Salem returns home for a MASCAC contest versus Fitchburg State on Tuesday, October 14, at 6:00 p.m.