DARTMOUTH, Mass. - Powered by a pair of milestone efforts, the UMass Dartmouth volleyball team defeated Western Connecticut State University and Simmons University by 3-0 margins. The Corsairs defeated the Wolves by a margin of 25-20, 25-16, 25-20 and took down the Sharks, 25-15, 25-19, 25-20 to improve to 14-6 overall and 4-0 in the Little East.
Junior setter
Skye Peters and senior setter and captain
Sabrina Bordone both hit the 1,500 career assists milestone in today's contests as Peters needed just nine entering the day - achieving it with 21 in the opener - while Bordone needed 23, hitting the mark in match two against the Sharks.
In the conference match against the Wolves, the Corsairs used a five-point swing to open a 10-5 advantage. WestConn battled back, utilizing a four-point rally of their own, including kills from Ella Hubert and Julia Stoliker to retake the lead at 14-12. A pair of kills from junior outside hitter and captain
Allison Pate, coupled with a strike from sophomore opposite
Olivia Seutter pushed the Corsairs back into the lead 17-16 and the home team later broke a tie, going on a 5-0 run for the 22-17 advantage. Pate and rookie middle blocker
Aleek Kuot had kills in the stretch while Bordone added a service ace. The Wolves inched back in, but a kill from rookie outside hitter
Ashley Serverius and an error by WestConn gave the Corsairs the set win.
After a solid second set win, the Corsairs headed into the third set and found themselves trailing by an 11-10 margin after a kill from Hallie Robillard. Seutter tied things up and the two teams went back-and-forth until a kill from Kuot pushed the home team into a 16-15 lead. WestConn answered with a pair of points to regain the lead, but a 4-0 run fueled by Wolves attacking errors saw UMD take back the lead at 20-17. Once again, WestConn chipped back into it, but a kill from Pate with several attacking errors by the visitors sealed the win for UMass Dartmouth.
Pate led the way with a match-high 16 kills, adding a block solo, a block assists and 21 digs. Seutter posted nine kills with four block assists, while Kuot had eight kills with five block assists and a dig. Serverius finished with five kills, a block assist and 14 digs, as senior defensive specialist and captain
Emily Pogorelec added a match-best 23 digs. Peters posted 21 assists with 12 digs, while Bordone had 13 assists, two kills, two aces and a dig.
In match two against the Sharks, the Corsairs opened with the first set win, but trailed 6-4 early in the second. UMD wasted little time, going on a 6-0 run - fueled by a pair of kills from junior middle blocker
Vivian Neyman and two aces from Pate to open a 10-6 lead. Simmons responded, pulling the margin back to 13-11 on a kill from Hannah Pridgeon, but the Corsairs kept pace and continued to match the Sharks in points. Leading 22-18 on a kill from junior opposite
Maddie Carter, the Corsairs went on to post the final three points of the set - including a kill from Seutter for the 2-0 advantage.
Third set action saw the Corsairs trail by an 11-7 margin early as a kill from Seutter and an error by the Sharks helped pull it to an 11-9 score. Simmons continued to hold the lead until the 17-14 mark as Serverius laid down a kill, followed by two attacking errors by the Sharks to make it a 17-all frame. The visitors continued to match pace, holding a 20-19 lead on a kill from Addison Evans, but the Corsairs answered with six straight points, including two kills from Pate and a service ace from Bordone to seal the match victory.
Pate once again led the way with a match-best 11 kills with no errors on 31 swings for a .355 margin. She added an assist, two aces, a block solo and nine digs. Carter posted seven kills with one error on 15 swings for a .400 margin, adding two block solo and three block assists, while Seutter had seven kills with a block solo and two block assists. Serverius added three kills with 10 digs, while Pogorelec recorded a match-high 17 digs. Bordon eclipsed the 1,500 career assists mark, posting 15 against the Sharks with a kill, three service aces and five digs, while Peters had 15 assists with two digs.
UMass Dartmouth returns to action on Wednesday when it hosts Roger Williams University at Tripp Gym. Match time against the Hawks is set for 7pm.
