DARTMOUTH, Mass. – For the third straight season, the UMass Dartmouth volleyball team is headed to the Little East Conference Championship following a 3-0 (26-24, 25-21, 25-20) victory over Western Connecticut State University on Thursday evening. The top-seeded Corsairs move to 21-7 overall, while the fifth-seeded Wolves conclude their season at 20-7.
It not only marks the third straight championship appearance for the Corsairs, but the third consecutive title game against Plymouth State. The third-seeded Panthers posted a 3-0 victory at second-seeded UMass Boston to return to the championship match. UMass Dartmouth hosted and won (3-2) in 2023 and then traveled to Plymouth in 2024, recording the road victory (3-0) for the second straight title.
In Thursday's match against the Wolves, junior captain and outside hitter
Allison Pate stole the show, recording a match-high 20 kills with just two errors on 43 swings for a .419 hitting percentage. She added a match-best 23 digs with a block solo. Sophomore opposite
Olivia Seutter notched 16 kills with two errors on 34 swings for a .412 hitting percentage, adding two block assists and two digs, while senior defensive specialist and captain
Emily Pogorelec added 22 digs with three assists and two service aces. Junior setter
Skye Peters finished with 31 assists, adding 10 digs with two kills and a block assist.
The opening set proved to be wild as the Wolves battled back from an 8-5 deficit to take a 10-9 lead on a kill from junior outside hitter Julia Stoliker. The Corsairs answered, regaining the lead behind kills from Pate and Seutter, but a five-point swing by the visitors later saw WestConn with a 22-20 lead late.
Facing a 24-22 margin, UMass Dartmouth rallied, firing off four straight points with three straight kills from Pate and a final strike from rookie middle blocker
Aleek Kuot to take the 26-24 win and a 1-0 match lead.
Second set action saw the Corsairs open a 7-4 lead behind another kill from Pate, but an error and a kill from sophomore middle blocker Ava Grace Gardner helped pull the score even at 8-all. UMass Dartmouth regained the advantage and continued to hold a two-point margin until a kill from Stoliker made it 16-17 in favor of the home team.
The Corsairs quickly answered, going on a four-point run, with kills from junior opposite
Maddie Carter and Seutter for the 21-16 lead. WestConn saw rookie middle blocker Ella Hubert later lay down a kill to cut the margin to 23-21, but an error and a kill from Pate closed out the set win for the 2-0 match advantage.
In the third set, the two teams kept it close until the 11-8 point as the Corsairs turned a two-point lead into a five-point swing on a kill from Carter and a Pogorelec ace (14-8). The Wolves refused to back down facing a 21-14 margin, recording four straight points to close the gap (21-18), but the Corsairs saw Pate record a kill while Seutter posted three kills to conclude the match.
The Corsairs will face the Panthers of Plymouth State on Saturday. Match time for the 2025 LEC Championship is set for 6pm in Tripp Gym.
