By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University volleyball team is off to its best start since 2005.

The Bears improved to 4-1 on Thursday night with a 3-1 non-conference victory over Rhode Island College at the Tinsley Center.

That marks the best beginning to a season since the '05 team opened 6-0 on the way to a 29-10 record and a trip to the NCAA Division III tournament.

BSU defeated RIC, 25-21, 18-25, 25-18 and 25-17, to take an 11-9 series lead over the Anchorwomen.

Junior Lily Welch (Hanson, Mass.) contributed a match-best 20 digs and 16 kills for the Bears while junior Xin Ai Robinson (Kaiserslautern, Germany) added 25 assists, 12 digs and a pair of aces. The 16 kills by Welch equaled her career high.

Junior Ava Crane (Dartmouth, Mass.) had 16 digs, 13 kills and two aces while sophomore Natalie Fredriksen (Plymouth, Mass.) added 15 assists. Crane's 13 kills matcher her career high.

Sophomore Lauren Rubicine (Mansfield, Mass.) had 15 digs to go along with 29 receptions while sophomore Charlotte Sullivan (Hyannis, Mass.) chipped in with three service aces.

For RIC (3-3), junior Carolyn Bailey (Ipswich, Mass.) had 17 digs and six assists.

BSU trailed, 3-1, to start the first set before there were ties at 4, 5 and 6. A service error and kills by Crane and senior Alexis Starks (Milford, Mass.) put the Bears up, 9-8.

RIC scored four points in a row to take the lead, but kills by Welch and senior Kim Gowell (Durham, N.H.) evened the score at 14.

After trailing, 16-14, the Bears went on a run for a 22-18 advantage as Sullivan, Welch and senior Meaghan Coutu (Brookline, N.H.) had kills.

The Anchorwomen closed to 22-21, but a kill and ace by Crane and a kill by Welch ended the set.

There were three ties early in the second set before RIC took a 10-8 lead on a kill by junior Andrayah Williams (North Providence, R.I.).

The set was tied, 12-12, before the Anchorwomen scored three straight points.

A kill by Gowell closed BSU within 17-16, but RIC finished the set by outscoring the Bears 8-2, ending with points on two attack errors.

BSU was down, 4-2, early in the third set before taking an 8-4 lead, helped by two kills from Coutu.

The lead was 10-6 before RIC moved within 10-9, but kills by Coutu and Welch and an attack error gave the Bears a 17-13 lead.

BSU had a 20-15 lead on a Coutu kill before RIC closed to 20-17, and two kills by Crane sparked a 5-1 run to win the set.

There were ties at 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 to open the fourth set before the Bears went up, 12-9, getting kills by Coutu and Welch and an ace from Sullivan.

RIC, in its first road match of the season, got within 15-14 after trailing by four points and 16-15, but the Bears ripped off five points in a row with Crane contributing two kills and Robinson an ace.

A Sullivan kill and an attack error finished off the match.

The two teams combined for 57 attacking errors and 20 serving errors with the Bears committing 14 of the service errors.

The Bears travel to Boston on Saturday for a tri-match. BSU will face Maine Maritime Academy at 1 p.m. and host Suffolk University at 3 p.m.

RIC also has a tri-match Saturday at Salem State at 11 a.m. and will also face Lesley University at 1 p.m.