BOSTON – Suffolk volleyball capped off its first home tri-match of 2023 with a 3-0 victory over Worcester State Saturday afternoon at Larry E. and Michael S. Smith Court. The triumph marked the Rams fifth in a row and fourth consecutive straight set decision. 

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 3 | Worcester State 0
RECORDS: Suffolk (6-5) | Worcester State (4-6) 

HOW IT HAPPENED
Suffolk took a 13-6 lead early on that grew to an 18-12 advantage. Back-and-forth action followed and the Rams lead paid off to claim the first frame, 25-17.  

Like the first, the Rams leapt out to a 7-1 cushion to get the second going and lead at the midway point, 15-7. The Lancers made things interesting thanks to an 8-2 run that chipped Suffolk's cushion down to a pair, 17-15. Things remained close the rest of the way and thanks to its good start the blue-and-gold locked up the second set, 25-22. 

Out of a 7-all tie, WSU took the lead for the first time of the afternoon a block by Kate Stedronsky and Angela Colonis. The visitors went up by as many as three, 14-11, before Suffolk surged back with six unanswered points to flip the script in its favor, 17-14. The Lancers hung, but the Rams remained in front to claim the frame, 25-19 and the match. 

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• McKenna Keowen had an all-around effort with 10 kills, six digs, three blocks, one assist and one ace. 
• Grace Cervenka contributed eight kills on a .400 attack percentage with a pair of blocks. 
• Jessica Weber had seven kills, two blocks and one dig. 
• Jasmine James pitched in six kills. 
• Sami Shore's stat line featured four kills and four blocks. 
• Aislinn Lanigan and Jayla Martinez set up the Rams' attack with 17 assists and 16 assists, respectively. 
• Morgan Kelsey notched 19 digs, three aces and two handouts. 
• Tatum Kalt served three aces, four digs and one assist.  

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk won its fifth straight match, which is the longest win streak since stringing seven triumphs together Oct. 12-Nov. 1, 2022. 
• The Rams had four consecutive straight set decisions, the most sweeps in a row since putting together five 3-0 decisions together Oct. 18-29, 2022.
• Suffolk and Worcester State renewed a rivalry, meeting for the first time since 2011. 
• The Rams picked up their first-ever win over the Lancers in a series that dates back to 2008. 
• Suffolk moved to 1-3 against WSU since 2008. 
• Three matches between the blue-and-gold and Lancers have been decided in straight sets. The Rams are 1-2 in such instances. 
• Suffolk hosted Worcester State for the first time. 
• Shore matched a personal-best in blocks (4) and block assists (3). 

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk hosts Eastern Nazarene Tuesday, Sept. 19 at Smith Court at 7 p.m.