WORCESTER -- The WPI volleyball team dropped a pair of matches on Saturday, falling to NEWMAC-rival Emerson (3-0) and local rival Framingham State (3-2). The Lions topped the Rams (3-0) in a neutral site battle, as Emerson finished unbeaten in the tri-match.
 
WPI moves to 5-7 overall and 0-2 in the NEWMAC with the results today, while Emerson goes to 8-7, 1-1 in conference play. Framingham State is now 4-10 overall.
 
Match One: Emerson 3, WPI 0
Emerson opened the day with a 3-0 sweep (25-19, 25-14, 25-18) over WPI, as the Lions held the Engineers to a negative hitting percentage for the match.
 
Brooke Maynez (Las Cruces, NM) led Emerson with a match-high 14 kills, followed by Amelia Combs (Eugene, OR) with 11 kills. Chloe Hokenson (McLean, VA) served up 30 assists and a team-high three aces, adding nine digs. Lorena Rivera (Guaynabo, PR) and Hannah Miller (Mission Viejo, CA) each tallied five blocks, while Caroline Davis (Orlando, FL) recorded a team-best 21 digs.
 
For WPI, Anastasia Kelnik (Fair Lawn, NJ) led the Engineers with seven kills, while Lily Eldridge (Danvers, MA) added five kills, 11 assists, and four blocks. Zeala VanDamme (San Diego, CA) tied for match-high honors with five blocks, also adding four kills. Victoria Escuer (Caracas, Venezuela) led the Engineers defensively with 11 digs, followed by Preslie Jerebker (Denver, CO) with nine and Alana Harris (Lowell, MA)with eight.
 
Emerson opened the match with a dominant first set, jumping to a quick 3-0 lead, capped by a service ace from Hokenson. WPI fought back, with Kelnik securing the team's first point, but Emerson continued to control the tempo, extending their lead to 9-3 after an attack error. WPI attempted a comeback, narrowing the deficit to 13-12 after a kill by Emily Hudson (Melrose, MA) and a service ace by Escuer, but Emerson pulled away once again. Hokenson's kill brought Emerson to 22-18, and they secured the first set 25-19, following a block by Rivera and Maynez.
 
The second set saw WPI open stronger, taking an early 1-0 lead after an attack error by Maynez. However, Emerson responded quickly with kills from Cummings and three service aces, pulling ahead to 7-1. Despite a push from WPI, highlighted by a kill from Eldridge, Emerson maintained its lead throughout. A decisive kill by Cummings brought Emerson to 20-13, and they closed out the set at 25-14, on a Miller kill.
 
In the third set, both teams traded points early, with WPI tying the score at 2-2 after a kill by Jerebker. The Lions surged ahead, taking advantage of WPI's errors and some key blocks. With commanding lead midway through the action, Emerson never looked back, sealing the match with a 25-14 win, and completing the sweep.
 
Match Two: Emerson 3, Framingham State 0
The Lions made it a 2-0 trip to Worcester, sweeping Framingham State (25-9, 25-16, 25-8) in the middle-match of the tri-match action at Harrington Auditorium.
 
Combs led the Lions with a match-best 12 kills, while Parker Cummings (Rochester, NY) had 10 kills and Maynez added seven. Hokenson put up a stat line of 29 assists, six digs, and four aces, while Davis posted a team-best 13 digs.
 
For Framingham State, Hope Verhoeven (Wainwright, Alberta, Canada) led the Rams with five kills, while Natalie Reynolds (Beverly, MA) added four. Stella Bailey (Wrentham, MA) notched 12 assists and six digs, while Anneli DiVirgilio (Brookline, NH) led the team with eight digs.
 
Match Three: Framingham State 3, WPI 2
WPI took an early lead in the third match of the day, but Framingham State battled back to win the nailbiter, 3-2 (16-25, 25-23, 18-25, 27-25, 25-11).
 
VanDamme led the Engineers with 14 kills and eight blocks, also hitting .367 in the match. Eldridge tallied a triple-double, stuffing the stat sheet with 12 kills, 24 assists, and 18 digs. Kelnik posted 10 kills and eight digs, while Jerebker added eight kills, 21 assists, and 13 digs. Harris led WPI with 22 digs, while Emilia Krum (Saratoga Springs, NY) added 18 in the tight loss.
 
For Framingham State, Reynolds led all players with 17 kills, while Verhoeven added 12. Sarah Medeiros (Watertown, CT) picked up nine kills, while Bailey posted 40 assists with 23 digs to wrap up a double-double. Also aiding the defense, DiVirgilio had 18 digs and Madysen Cedrone (North Andover, MA) added 16.
 
WPI dominated the first set, taking a quick 9-3 lead with Jerebker on the line. Framingham State struggled to recover, getting no closer than five points the rest of the frame, as the Engineers picked up set one on an Eldridge kill that made it 25-16.
 
The second set saw Framingham State bounce back, doubling up WPI, 12-6 on aces from Dobbins and back-to-back kills from Reynolds. The Engineers battled back, using an 8-2 run to tie the frame at 14-14, but Dobbins got the next kill for FSU. The Rams then increased the lead to 20-16, before WPI again closed the gap, this time to 23-22 on an Eldridge winner. From there, though, Framingham State closed out the frame as Jamie Moniz (Swansea, MA) got the final point to win 25-23 and tie the match at 1-1.
 
WPI regained control in the third set, turning a tight 12-12 tie into a 20-14 advantage. VanDamme and Kelnik both had multiple kills during the 8-2 surge. Framingham State was able to close the gap to four (22-18), but the Engineers took a 2-1 lead with a Krum ace to close it out at 25-18.
 
In the fourth, Framingham State started strong, taking an early 4-1 lead with kills from Reynolds and Medeiros. WPI struggled to find their rhythm and fell behind 16-11 midway through the set. The Engineers made a late surge to tie the set at 25-25, but a Medeiros kill and a Cedrone ace gave the Rams the win to send it into a fifth frame.

The final set was tightly contested, with neither team leading by more than one early on. Tied 6-6, Framingham State put together a 6-3 surge to take a 12-9 lead. WPI got as close as 12-11 on a VanDamme and Jerebker block, but the Rams scored the final three points of the frame to take it 15-11 and the match, 3-2.
 
All three teams are back on action on Tuesday, October 1. WPI heads to Smith for a 7pm start, Emerson hosts Mount Holyoke at 7pm, and Framingham State takes on Bridgewater State at 6pm.
 
WPI-Emerson Box Score
 
Emerson-Framingham State Box Score
 
WPI-Framingham State Box Score