KEENE, N.H. – The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth volleyball team saw its season come to an end Tuesday night at Keene State, 3-1 (25-17, 18-25, 25-22, 25-17), in the quarterfinal round of the Little East Conference (LEC) Tournament.
The Corsairs had one of their most successful seasons in recent memory, making the LEC Tournament for the first time since the 2010 season. The team also beat Keene State for the first time in 17 years, defeated Framingham State for the first time since 2012 and Southern Maine for the first time in six years.
UMass Dartmouth does not graduate any players and bring back an experienced group for next season. Keene State advances to the semifinal round at UMass Boston on Thursday.
Freshman
Kate Wade posted a career-high 21 kills and added eight digs, while sophomore
Devon Laing recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 12 kills and team highs of 19 digs and five aces. Freshman
Zoe Dizenzo also had a double-double with 41 assists and 11 digs.
After falling behind, 16-9 in the first set, UMass Dartmouth called a timeout and rattled off five straight points to make it 16-14. Keene then closed the set on a 9-3 run to take the first set.
Keene State took a 10-9 lead in the second. An ace by Dizenzo then sparked a 10-3 run with kills by Wade, freshman
Chelsea Sanker and sophomore
Marley Alexander to take a 19-13 advantage and eventually even the match at one.
The Corsairs took a 7-2 lead and extended it to 17-13, but Keene State was able to take back control and go on a 12-5 run and take the third set to go up, 2-1.
UMassD kept it close in the fourth. Trailing 15-14, the Owls finished the match on a 10-3 run to advance to the next round.
The Corsairs will now prepare for the 2022 season.
