DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Powered by a well-rounded team performance, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth women's volleyball team came away with a dominant, 3-0 (25-13, 25-21, 25-10) win over conference opponent Western Connecticut on Saturday. The Corsairs have won seven in a row and remain undefeated in conference play. UMD has also won 18 of their last 19 individual sets. The Corsairs record improves to 13-6 overall, and 5-0 in the Little East Conference (LEC). The Wolves dip to 12-6 overall and slide to 2-2 in the LEC.
The Corsairs, who have been rolling of late, set the tone early in the opening set. Senior
Devon Laing took over the serve with a 9-7 lead and helped the Corsairs go on a five-point run to go up 14-7. Later in the set, with a 19-11 lead, the Corsairs rattles off another five-point run with Junior
Kate Wade handling the serve. Senior
Maggie Sullivan tallied three kills late in the set to help the Corsairs take the opening set with a 25-13 score.
UMass Dartmouth carried their momentum into the second set, jumping out to a 10-5 lead. WestConn battled their way back into the second set, evening the score at one point at 15-15. With help from a few errors on the side of the Wolves, the Corsairs were able to re-claim their lead, and eventually take the set. The second set was the closest of the match, as UMD took it 25-21.
The Corsairs brought the energy into the third set, which would be their most convincing of the contest. UMass Dartmouth jumped out to a 12-4 lead early thanks to strong services from Wade and Sullivan. UMD's scoring came from several places throughout the contest, but the third set especially. Seniors
Gabriella Monico and Laing were largely responsible for closing out the game in the third set, with those two recording six kills of the final seven points scored by the Corsairs. UMass Dartmouth took the third set by the largest margin of the match, 25-10.
UMass Dartmouth looked dominant once again as they stay unbeaten against conference opponents. Wade added 10 digs as she headed the attack with 10 kills and two service aces. Monico finished off eight kills, while Laing recorded seven kills, an ace and 11 digs. Sophomore
Sabrina Bordone and freshman
Skye Peters split action from the setter position, tallying 15 and 12 set assists, respectively. Sophomore
Emily Pogorelec led the team with 18 digs while also contributing three set assists and a service ace.
The shining spots for the Wolves were seven kills each from junior Helen Megson and freshman Julia Stoliker. Senior Olivia Monteleone led all players with 26 set assists.
The UMass Dartmouth women's volleyball team will take the road on Friday, October 20, for a non-conference bout with Amherst College. The contest is scheduled to start at 7:00PM.
