DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Backed by a complete team effort, the UMass Dartmouth volleyball team posted a 3-0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-10) victory over Vermont State University Castleton on Saturday in Little East Conference action. The Corsairs move to 12-6 overall on the season, improving to 5-0 in conference play, while the Spartans are now 6-9 and 0-4 in the LEC.
 
The Corsairs kicked off Saturday's match honoring their four seniors in a pre-match ceremony, including middle blocker Ella Soutter, middle blocker Maddie Carter, setter and captain Skye Peters, along with outside hitter and captain Allison Pate.
 
Pate paced the Corsairs on the day, recording a match-high 10 kills and 17 digs. She also added two assists and two service aces on the day. Junior opposite Olivia Seutter posted nine kills with an assist and a service ace, adding a block solo and a block assist with three digs, while Carter posted six kills with an assist, a block solo, a block assist and two digs.
 
Peters recorded 28 assists on the day, adding a service ace, six kills and eight digs, while rookie defensive specialist Brooke Harrington posted 14 digs with six assist and a service ace. Rookie outside hitter Norah Schweitzer went on to add five kills with two digs and a block assist.
 
First set action saw the visitors open a 5-3 advantage early, but the Corsairs battled back as a 7-0 run – aided by a pair of kills from Seutter and two aces from Pate – turned the tables for a 10-5 UMD lead. UMass Dartmouth went on another quick 4-0 run, holding a 16-9 margin, but a four-point swing for the Spartans saw the score move to 20-17 late. Despite the momentum, the Corsairs went on to capture five of the next six points to secure the set victory.
 
Second set played out much like the first as the Spartans opened up a 5-3 lead early. The Corsairs countered with seven straight points – including two kills from Peters – to change the narrative to a 12-7 UMass lead. Back-to-back kills from the Spartans later pulled the score to 19-13, but another 5-1 run – which included four kills from Pate and the final point from Seutter – saw the Corsairs take the 2-0 match advantage.
 
In the third set, the Corsairs opened a 4-0 lead and continued to build as kills from Seutter, Peters and Carter – along with a pair of aces from Soutter – helped UMD open a 13-4 advantage. A pair of kills from Pate and a service ace from sophomore outside hitter McKenna Highlander pushed the score to 17-6 and the Corsairs continued to press as a final kill from Peters sealed the match victory for the home team.
 
UMass Dartmouth returns to action on Wednesday, traveling to UMass Boston for a 6pm tilt against the Beacons in LEC play.