Box Score DARTMOUTH, Mass. – UMass Dartmouth nearly stole the third set, going up by as much as seven, but Eastern Connecticut put the kibosh on a comeback, sealing 25-13, 25-16 and 25-22 wins over the Corsairs for a 3-0 Little East Conference sweep on Tuesday evening.
The Basics
Score: Eastern Connecticut 3, UMass Dartmouth 0
Records: Eastern Connecticut (14-7, 2-2 LEC) | UMass Dartmouth (6-15, 0-4 LEC)
How it Happened
The Warriors came out gunning, gathering a comfortable 25-13 victory in the first set. ECSU senior Adrianna Mihalek (Woodbury, Conn.) registered six of her team's eight kills on the opening frame on just eight attempts for a .750 attack percentage. The visitors also forced six UMass Dartmouth reception errors to set the tone in the service game early.
Early in the second set, the Corsairs put the pieces together, tying the game at three on block assists from freshman Taila Roberson (Norwalk, Conn.) and senior Kayla Kirby (Westport, Mass.). A few points later, Mihalek's serve paced ECSU to five straight points to put the score at a margin the Corsairs couldn't reach for the remainder of play. The Warriors finished the 25-16 decision with a .370 attack percentage and four kills from junior Caryn Sibiskie (Rockfall, Conn.)
UMass Dartmouth then spun a near comeback, dominating the first part of the third. Freshman Jordan Rittberger (Huntington, N.Y.) put the hosts up 4-0 to start, slamming three service aces. Two-straight attack errors then put the hosts' advantage at 11-4, forcing a Warrior timeout.
The Corsairs would put the lead back to seven on three more occasions on the set, but back-to-back kills from Mihalek and Sibiskie edged the score to 20-18. Mihalek would register two more kills before all was said and done, including the game-tying point at 22-all, before ECSU rattled off the last three points to complete the night.
Inside the Numbers
- Freshman Anita Sengara (Vancouver, B.C.) again led her team on offense, registering six kills to go along with seven digs and two assists.
- Sophomore Olivia Wallett (Willington, Conn.) posted a team-high .250 attack percentage, her highest mark since Sept. 22's match at Becker.
- Rittberger rattled off 13 assists, reaching double digits in the category for the fourth-straight match, along with seven digs and four service aces.
- Freshman Jillian Sykora (Waterford, Conn.) dug a game-high 13 balls to go along with three service aces.
- Mihalek was the lone player to reach double-digit kills on the match, finishing with 13 on a .290 percentage.
- The Warriors are now the winners of six-straight against UMass Dartmouth, doing so with 31 total kills and 12 services aces on Tuesday evening.
Up Next
UMass Dartmouth is home again on Thursday evening, hosting Mount Ida for a 6 p.m. start as part of a four-match home stand, while Eastern Connecticut will be at Roger Williams on Saturday at 1 p.m.
