WALTHAM, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth women's volleyball team fell short in two matches at the Brandeis Invitational in Waltham, MA on Saturday. Game one was a back-and-forth contest with Salve Regina that went all five sets, with the Seahawks on top. Game two was facing the Invitational hosts in Brandeis, that concluded with Brandeis on top, 3-1 in set count. The Corsairs dipped to 1-2 to start their season, while the Seahawks advanced to 1-1 and the Judges jump to 3-0.
It was evident from the first set of game one that these two programs were evenly matched, trading points in the opening set. With the score at 16-15 in favor of Salve Regina, the Seahawks answered with a 7-2 run to give them a comfortable lead in the set. The first set concluded with Salve Regina on top, 25-18.
Trailing 0-1, UMass Dartmouth responded in the second set, making it clear they were not going to roll over in this contest. They took the second set, 25-21, thanks to some strong services from senior
Devon Laing and sophomore
Emily Pogorelec towards the end of the set. During their serves, junior
Kate Wade recorded three quick kills that helped extend the UMD lead.
The Corsairs carried the momentum from the second set into the third, going up 7-3 early in the set. UMass Dartmouth continued their attack in the third set, including back-to-back aces from Wade that put UMD up 12-6. The Corsairs cruised through the remainder of the set with a comfortable lead, eventually taking a 2-1 lead in the match after taking the set, 25-12.
Despite the Corsairs' best efforts, the Seahawks responded with a dominant 25-11 fourth set. Salve Regina was able to ride that momentum into the fifth set, where they took the set and the match after a 15-11 fifth frame.
UMass Dartmouth was led by Wade who tallied 14 kills on 33 attempts. Freshman
Skye Peters added 23 assists from the setter position. Pogorelec recorded 20 digs.
The Seahawks saw a 25-assist performance from junior Siena DeCicco along with a team-high eight kills from sophomore Lauren Hoyle.
The Corsairs came for redemption in game two, taking a close first set by a score of 26-24. The hosting Judges responded in a big way, with three consecutive sets to put away the Corsairs, 3-1.
In game two, the Corsairs were led by Wade who finished 14 of her 31 kill attempts, and Laing, who converted on 12 of her 34 attempts. Peters led the team with 33 assists and also contributed 11 digs. Pogorelec had a match-high 19 digs along with six assists.
Brandeis saw a match-leading 45 assists from senior Ines Grom-Mansencal. The Judges also got a remarkable 20-kill performance from sophomore Anna Ertischek and an 18-kill match from junior Lara Verstovsek.
UMass Dartmouth women's volleyball looks get back on track on Tuesday, in their home-opener against Elms College. Match time is scheduled for 6:00PM in the Tripp Athletic Center.
