Box Score DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Senior captain Christina Spinazola (Medway, Mass.) recorded her 2,000th career assist in the third set on Tuesday evening, finishing with 26 for the match to lead UMass Dartmouth to a 3-0 victory over Nichols at the Tripp Center.
The Basics
Score: UMass Dartmouth 3, Nichols 0
Records: UMass Dartmouth (8-15) | Nichols (5-15)
How it Happened
In the opener, the Corsairs came out gunning, firing off a .353 attack percentage for the highest of either team on the evening. On Spinazola's serve, UMass Dartmouth jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead, and would extend to a nine-point advantage when Jillian Sykora (Waterford, Conn.) regained the serve. With the score at 20-12, freshman Nicole Silverman (Chelmsford, Mass.) sandwiched two service aces around a kill by Olivia Wallett (Willington, Conn.) to all but solidify the 25-13 win.
Nichols gained back some ground in the second set by out-performing UMass Dartmouth with a .185 attack percentage. The Bison took their first lead of the evening when Megan Gardiner (South Deerfield, Mass.) posted a kill to make the score 7-6. UMass Dartmouth then gained back ground on freshman Meghan Mullinax's (Lake Balboa, Calif.) serve, bookended by two Anita Sengara (Vancouver, B.C.) kills. The hosts would go up as much as 11 and secure a 25-18 decision.
The Bison then put it all together in the third, as neither team was able to go up more than four for the entirety. A J'ena Baker (Rockledge, Fla.) kill tied the score at 15, but Spinazola's 2,000th assist on a Taila Roberson (Norwalk, Conn.) kill put the hosts back up one.
Bison Monica Pucko (Gardner, Mass.) contributed to two block assists in the course of three points to help Nichols regain a three-point lead, but errors by the visitors would put UMass Dartmouth back within shouting distance. With the set tied a 24, back-to-back Bison attack errors gave the Corsairs the three-set sweep, 26-24.
Inside the Numbers
- Spinazola's game-high 26 assists brings her career total to 2,001, and the setter also posted two block assists on the contest.
- UMass Dartmouth's offense was paced by Roberson, who tied a career-high with nine kills on a team-high .238 attack percentage.
- Sengara led all players with 15 digs, collecting seven kills on a .217 percentage.
- Silverman also gathered a career-high, slamming five service aces on the match to better Nichols' cumulative total of three.
Up Next
UMass Dartmouth's four-match home streak concludes on Thursday, when the Corsairs host St. Joseph (Conn.) at 7 p.m. The Bison will host Salve Regina on the same date and time.
