GORHAM, Maine -Â The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth volleyball team is off to its best start since the 2012 season after sweeping both Southern Maine (25-12, 25-11, 25-18) and Maine-Presque Isle (25-13, 25-15, 25-12) Saturday afternoon on the road.
The Corsairs improve to 10-5 overall and 2-1 in the Little East Conference (LEC), while the Huskies move to 4-11 and 2-2 in the LEC and the Owls drop to 0-13.
VS. SOUTHERN MAINE
Sophomore
Kate Wade led all players with 12 kills on a .409 attack percentage, added eight digs and four aces. Freshman
Emily Pogorelec tallied 12 digs and five aces to lead the match, while junior
Devon Laing finished with seven aces and the freshmen setter duo of
Emma Rousseau (14) and
Sabrina Bordone (13) led the way in the assist category, per usual.
UMass Dartmouth took control early on, racing ahead to a 13-5 lead behind kills by junior
Maggie Sullivan, sophomore
Chelsea Sanker, junior
Marley Alexander, Wade and Bordone. Southern Maine brought the score to 18-10, but a 7-2 run closed the set with a kill by sophomore
Monika Kristjansdottir, aces from Wade and kills by Alexander and Sullivan.
The Huskies stayed with the Corsairs in the early going of the second set (7-5). That was until a kill by Wade sparked a 14-4 run with a pair of aces from Pogorelec to take a commanding 21-9 advantage. A kill by Alexander and three-straight aces from Rousseau finished off the second set to make it a 2-0 match lead.
Southern Maine had the third set tied at 10 as the teams traded points. Rousseau then got a kill and the Corsairs scored 12 of the next 15 points to go up, 22-15. Kristjansdottir ended the match with a kill.
VS. MAINE-PRESQUE ISLE
Alexander posted 11 kills on a .625 attack percentage with three aces, while Laing had 11 kills and six digs and Wade recorded 10 kills. Pogorelec finished with 10 digs and five aces, while junior
Annika Laudemann registered seven digs.
Early kills by Wade and Alexander got it started for the Corsairs, who quickly fund themselves ahead, 15-8. An Alexander kill and aces from freshman
Brooke Wittmer extended the lead to 22-10. Kills by Laing and Sullivan finished off the first set.
Presque Isle took a 5-4 advantage to open the second set. UMass Dartmouth then rattled off a 19-5 run with kills by Alexander, Laing, Wade, Sanker and aces by Pogorelec to go up, 23-10. Wade then spiked a kill and an Owl error gave the Corsairs a 2-0 match lead.
The Owls took a 4-1 lead to open the third. Sanker then got a kill to start an 18-5 run to bring the UMass Dartmouth advantage to 19-9. A pair of kills by Wade and an ace by Wittmer finished off the match.
NEXT UP
UMass Dartmouth is home against Worcester State on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
