BOSTON, Mass. - Highlighted by a high-scoring third set, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth volleyball gave it all they had at Tansey Gymnasium, but it was Wentworth who came away with a 3-2 (25-18, 13-25, 37-35, 19-25, 15-7) victory Tuesday night.
Junior
Marley Alexander and sophomore
Kate Wade each led the way with 13 kills, while junior
Devon Laing stuffed the stat sheet with nine kills, 12 digs and two blocks. Freshman
Emily Pogorelec set a new season high with 21 digs, junior
Maggie Sullivan added eight kills and freshmen
Emma Rousseau and
Sabrina Bordone tallied 21 and 16 assists.
Wentworth jumped ahead to an early 9-3 advantage in the first set and held onto the lead until hitting 25 points. The closest the Corsairs would come was 15-12 after a kill by Wade, and 17-14 after a pair of errors from the Leopards. Wentworth would eventually close the first set on an 8-4 run to go up 1-0 in the match.
UMass Dartmouth bounced back after being in complete control of the second set. A kill and an ace from Laing got it started and the Corsairs found themselves ahead 10-4 after kills by Alexander and Wade, and aces by Pogorelec and Rousseau. UMass Dartmouth continued to roll when sophomore
Chelsea Sanker made it 19-10 with a kill and four-straight points closed it out for the 25-13 second set win.
The third set is when things got wild. Picking up with the Corsairs leading 23-21, a Wentworth kill and ace knotted it up at 23. Kills by Laing and Wade then put UMass Dartmouth up 25-24, but neither team could finish it as points went back-and-forth until eventually, with the set tied at 35, Wentworth scored two straight points off a service error and a kill to go up 2-1 in the match.
UMass Dartmouth showed resiliency and took the fourth set, 25-19. After Wentworth went up 5-3, Alexander had three kills in a 6-0 run to make it an 8-5 lead. Momentum stayed on the Corsairs' side and an 8-1 run with aces by Wade and Alexander extended the advantage to 16-7. Wentworth made a late push, but a kill by Sullivan forced a fifth set.
Wentworth used its home court to its advantage and raced ahead to a 7-3 start in the fifth set. Kills by Wade and Alexander were not enough to secure the win.
UMass Dartmouth hosts Plymouth State on Friday at 7 p.m. at the Tripp Athletic Center in its first Little East Conference match of the year.
