DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The UMass Dartmouth volleyball team posted a 3-0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-19) victory over Eastern Connecticut State University on Saturday in Little East action. The victory moves the Corsairs to 20-6 overall and 7-0 in conference play – marking the third straight season and the ninth time in program history (since 1989) that the squad has won 20 or more matches.
UMass Dartmouth honored their seniors in a pre-match ceremony, recognizing setter and captain
Sabrina Bordone and defensive specialist and captain
Emily Pogorelec for their outstanding careers.
The Corsairs were led by sophomore opposite
Olivia Seutter, who recorded a match-best 14 kills with no errors on 26 swings for a .538 hitting percentage. She also added a block assist. Junior outside hitter and captain
Allison Pate notched 10 kills with just two errors on 26 swings (.308) adding 10 digs, an assist, a service ace and a block assist, while classmate and setter
Skye Peters notched a career-high five kills to go along with a match-best 22 assists, an ace, a block assist and 14 digs.
Junior opposite
Maddie Carter added five kills with a block solo and two block assists with a dig, while Pogorelec notched match-high 16 digs with five assists on the afternoon.
First set action saw the visitors take advantage of a service error to open a 5-4 lead early. The Corsairs battled back, matching point-for-point until three straight saw the home team take a 10-9 lead. UMD tacked on two more points before going on a 4-0 run that saw them open up a 16-9 advantage. Later leading by a 21-14 margin, the Corsairs surrendered a pair of points on kills from Haley Jo Bridges and Sierra York, but three straight from UMD, including kills from Carter and Seutter closed the door on the opening set win.
Second set action was another back and forth battle as the Warriors opened an 8-4 margin behind a pair of kills and an attacking error on the Corsairs. UMass Dartmouth surged back, using a 7-1 run over the next eight points to tie the match and take a 13-10 lead following kills from rookie outside hitter
Ashley Serverius and Seutter.
Eastern Connecticut State answered, matching UMD point-for-point once again, but the Corsairs used a 5-0 run with kills from Pate, Peters, Serverius and rookie middle blocker
Aleek Kuot to make it a 23-17 score. Another kill from Peters, coupled with one of two service aces in the match by Kuot, wrapped up the set win for the home team.
Third set action proved to be another tight one as neither team strayed by more than a one-point differential until UMD turned a 15-14 score into an 18-14 advantage behind several attacking errors and an ace from Pate. Kills by Brooke Praskievicz and Emma Robinson helped cut the deficit to 21-18, but back-to-back kills from Pate sealed the set win and match victory.
UMass Dartmouth – which has secured its spot in the upcoming Little East Tournament – will play its final regular season home game on November 1, traveling to Plymouth State University for a 3:30pm match against the Panthers.
