PLYMOUTH, N.H. -Â After dropping its first match to Plymouth State (25-21, 25-17, 25-12), the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth volleyball team bounced back to defeat New England College (25-17, 25-21, 26-24) to split its two matches Saturday in Plymouth, N.H.
Sophomore
Devon Laing smacked down 20 kills on the day for the Corsairs (3-4, 0-1 LEC), while the Panthers (8-0, 1-0 LEC) start their conference schedule on the right foot, and the Pilgrims (7-3) see their six-game winning streak snapped with the loss to UMassD.
VS. PLYMOUTH STATE
Plymouth State jumped ahead to a 5-1 advantage in the first set with a kill and two aces. UMass Dartmouth then went on a 9-5 run thanks to kills by freshmen
Kate Wade and
Chelsea Sanker, sophomore
Marley Alexander and Laing to even the score at 10. The Corsairs kept rolling to take a 17-14 advantage, but the Panthers quickly retook the lead and won the set with an 11-4 run to win, 25-21.
UMass Dartmouth kept it close in the early going of the second set after kills by freshman
Monika Kristjansdottir, Wade, Alexander and Laing. Plymouth State then ran away with the set with a 15-7 run to take the second, 25-17.
The third set was all Panthers. Plymouth State jumped ahead to a 17-6 advantage and never looked back, taking the set, 25-12, and the match in straight sets.
VS. NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE
UMass Dartmouth turned it around for its second match of the day against New England College, winning 3-0.
Laing recorded a double-double with 15 kills and 11 digs, while tallied 10 kills and added three aces, Barreto finished with 15 digs and freshman
Zoe Dizenzo came away with 32 assists.
The Corsairs went ahead 10-4 in the early going of the first set after kills by Laing, sophomore
Maggie Sullivan and Wade. UMass Dartmouth built on that lead with kills by sophomore
Gabriella Monico, Alexander and Laing again to go up 15-8. NEC scored three straight points late, but it was not enough as the Corsairs took the first set, 25-17.
The second was evenly matched as the teams traded points to the mid-point of the set. With a 14-13 score, UMass Dartmouth went on an 8-2 run to extend its lead to 22-16. Wade and Alexander finished things off with back-to-back kills to take the set, 25-21, and go up 2-0 for the match.
UMass Dartmouth came from behind in the third set. With NEC on top, 16-11, Alexander and Monico sparked a 12-5 run that was capped off with four consecutive points to go ahead, 24-22. The Pilgrims tied the score at 24, but back-to-back attack errors from NEC gave UMassD the match win.
The Corsairs are back in action at 6 p.m. at the Tripp Athletic Center against Eastern Nazarene.
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