By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University volleyball team won a key Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference match Saturday afternoon.

The Bears handed Framingham State University a 3-1 loss at the Tinsley Center in a matchup between teams who entered the day undefeated in the conference.

BSU (10-3 overall) is tied for first place in the MASCAC at 4-0 with the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. The Bears' next conference game is against MCLA at home on Oct. 22.

Framingham State (12-5) is now 3-1 in the conference, falling a game behind the leaders. The Rams were eliminated from the MASCAC tourney by BSU in the semifinal round last year.

The Bears defeated Framingham State, 25-20, 27-25, 19-25 and 25-16, to stay in a first-place tie with MCLA with four conference games to go.

BSU junior Lily Welch (Hanson, Mass.) had 28 digs and 14 kills while senior Kim Gowell (Durham, N.H.) had a season-high 16 kills and a .480 hitting percentage to go along with a pair of assisted blocks.

Junior Ava Crane (Dartmouth, Mass.) added 18 digs and eight kills and sophomore Charlotte Sullivan (Hyannis, Mass.) contributed 10 digs, eight kills and two assisted blocks.

Welch, Crane and Sullivan each recorded three aces on the afternoon.

Junior Xin Ai Robinson (Kaiserlautern, Germany) contributed 34 assists for the Bears while sophomore Natalie Fredriksen (Plymouth, Mass.) chipped in with 21 assists.

Junior Moriah Baptista (Dartmouth, Mass.) added 12 digs and senior Meaghan Coutu (Brookline, N.H.) had 11 kills.

For Framingham State, senior Stella Bailey (Wrentham, Mass.) had 24 assists while freshman Kristina Santiago-Alers (Carolina, Puerto Rico) had 18 digs and junior Natalie Reynolds (Beverly, Mass.) added 14 kills.

The Bears had an edge in attacks, 182-140, kills, 60-39, assists, 50-38, and digs, 82-61.

BSU, which is on a four-game winning streak, is 5-0 at home this season. The Rams lost for only the second time in seven road games.

Framingham State jumped to a 3-1 lead in the opening set before the Bears took a 6-4 lead on kills by Welch and Gowell and a pair of attack errors.

After the set was even, 7-7, Crane and Sullivan had kills to push BSU in front, 11-8, and a Sullivan kill and three attack errors enabled the Bears to go up, 16-9.

The Rams were within 20-16 on a kill by junior Jamie Moniz (Swansea, Mass.), but BSU finished off the set with kills by Welch and Gowell.

The Bears went up, 4-1, to start the second set as Welch and Sullivan had kills and Crane contributed an ace.

BSU widened the lead to 11-4 as Coutu had two kills while Welch, Gowell and senior Alexis Starks (Milford, Mass.) added one each.

But the Rams rallied for a 16-15 lead, moving in front on a kill by sophomore Sarah Medeiros (Watertown, Conn.).

Two Gowell kills put the Bears back up, 17-16, and a Medeiros kill evened the score at 17.

The Bears scored the next four points, getting two kills from Gowell and two aces from Welch, for a 21-17 lead. A Sullivan kill later made it 22-18.

Framingham State pulled even at 23 thanks to a Santiago-Alers kill, two attack errors and a service error.

BSU held a 25-24 lead on a Crane kill, but an attack error tied the score. The Bears went up, 26-25, on an attack error and a Welch kill concluded the set.

Framingham State overcame an 18-15 deficit in the third set to keep the match going, using a 10-1 run to force a fourth set.

BSU was down, 3-1, to start the third set before it was even at 9-9.

Two Crane kills helped the Bears take a 12-9 lead and two kills by Welch made it 15-12. The Bears held an 18-15 lead after kills by Starks and Crane.

But they managed just one point the rest of the set, a kill by Gowell, as Framingham set went on a run. Kills by Medeiros and Moniz, a service error and two attack errors put the Rams up, 21-18.

Framingham State scored the last four points of the set.

BSU bounced back in the fourth set, jumping to a 7-3 lead as Welch and Gowell had kills and Fredriksen an ace.

The lead went to 12-5 as Gowell had a pair of kills, and after the Rams were within 12-7, two Coutu kills made it 14-7.

A pair of kills by Reynolds cut the deficit to 14-10, but that was as close as Framingham State would get.

The Bears moved in front, 20-11, and after holding a 23-16 lead, a service error and a kill by Sullivan ended the match.

BSU has a non-conference match on Friday at 5 p.m. at the Tinsley Center against UMass Dartmouth.

Framingham State is on the road Monday to face Rivier at 6 p.m.