DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The Little East Conference Championship Final took place on Saturday in the Tripp Athletic Center on the campus of UMass Dartmouth. The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth women's volleyball team were victorious, 3-2 (19-25, 25-19, 25-18, 17-25, 15-12) over Plymouth State for their first Conference Championship in program history. Junior Kate Wade of UMass Dartmouth was named the Little East Conference Tournament's Most Outstanding Player. With that win the Corsairs have earned an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, which will be the first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history as well. The Corsairs have had their most successful season to date with an overall record of 20-6 and undefeated LEC record of 8-0 with both a regular season LEC Championship and Tournament Championship. The Panthers also had an outstanding 2023 campaign concluding with a 23-5 record and 7-1 mark in the conference. 

It was obvious from the opening set that this matchup between these two LEC powerhouses was going to be electrifying, and certainly was not going to end in less than five sets. The Panthers came in looking for revenge after losing to the Corsairs at home a week ago for the regular-season LEC title, and claimed the opening set 25-19. The Panthers' star senior Nora Ryan was dominant in the opening frame, recording six kills and an ace. 

Trailing 0-1 in the biggest game in the program's history, it was on the Corsairs to turn things around starting in the second set. They did just that, jumping out to an early 7-2 lead thanks to three kills between Wade and junior Chelsea Sanker. The rest of the set was dominated by the Tournament's Most Outstanding Player Wade along with senior Devon Laing, who recorded five and seven kills, respectively. The Corsairs took the second set by the same margin they lost the first, 25-19. 

In the third set, the Corsairs rolled with the momentum from the previous set and from the energy of the roaring crowd in the Tripp Center. While trailing 8-7 in the set, the Corsairs scored three straight including two powerful spikes from Wade. The Panthers evened it up once more at 12-12 thanks to a couple nice kills from senior Ryley McNeeley. UMass Dartmouth then went on a 8-1 run that opened up the set for the Corsairs as they took a 19-13 lead. Sanker recorded three timely kills before Laing closed out the set for the Corsairs, 25-18, to go up 2-1 in the match. 
 
The Little East Conference Champions from 2022, Plymouth State responded in the fourth set. The Panthers rattled off seven quick points to take an early 7-3 lead. The Corsairs attempted to hang with PSU in the set but were out-done 25-17, forcing a fifth and final set to determine which of these teams would hoist the trophy after two incredible seasons. Plymouth State junior Lilli Stogner, senior Aynslee King and McNeeley each notched three kills to help take the set. 

It all came down to a fifth set, with each program just 15 more points away from earning the title they have fought all season for. The crowd was standing and electric for the entire set, largely urging on the home team to accomplish something that the program has never seen. With Plymouth State taking a 6-3 lead, the Corsairs showed their resilience when it mattered most. Laing and Sanker headed a three-point spree to even the contest 7-7, before a kill from Ryan gave the Panthers the one-score advantage as the teams switched sides. The two teams traded points, and with PSU leading 11-10, the Corsairs rattled off the biggest four-point stretch of the night to take a 14-11 lead. Who else but the Tournament's Most Outstanding Player, Kate Wade, to finish it off with a spike that the Panthers couldn't handle, and the Corsairs stormed the court after taking the set and match. 

The Corsairs' biggest win in the programs history was headed by Wade with 19 kills, a match high. Wade also recorded 16 digs, a block assist and an ace. Laing recorded 12 kills in addition to her defensive efforts, leading the team with 26 digs. Sanker's presence was felt as well, with 11 kills and two block assists. Senior Maggie Sullivan had another big day with three service aces and two block assists in huge spots. The sophomore, 2022 LEC Defensive Player of the Year Emily Pogorelec tallied 21 digs, two aces and six assists. Freshman Skye Peters led the team in set assists with 22 while also adding 11 digs. Sophomore Sabrina Bordone had a big time performance with 18 assists, 13 digs and two sneaky kills.    

The Panthers saw another great offensive performance from Ryan, who tallied 16 kills. Junior Makayla Marucci led all players with 33 digs. The pair of setters in Riley McDonough and Kalista Butler recorded 29 and 26 set assists, respectively. 

After winning the first conference championship in the program's history, UMass Dartmouth has won 13 straight matches, the second-longest streak in program history. The Corsairs will be tuned in to the 2023 NCAA Women's Volleyball Selection Show on Monday, November 13^th at 1PM to see where they will be playing their first ever NCAA Tournament match.