DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Backed by a solid effort across three sets, the UMass Dartmouth volleyball team defeated Plymouth State, 3-0 (25-22, 25-23, 25-16) in Little East Conference action on Friday. The win moves the Corsairs to 14-7 overall and 7-1 in conference play, while the Panthers are now 16-5 and 5-2 in the LEC.
 
The victory for the Corsairs secures a First Round bye in the upcoming LEC Tournament, which begins on November 10. UMD will host the Semifinals on November 12. Seedings and opponents will be announced upon conclusion of the regular season next Saturday. It marks the fourth straight season the Corsairs have secured a First Round bye.
 
Leading the way for UMass Dartmouth was junior opposite Olivia Seutter, who laid down a match-high 14 kills with just three errors on 31 swings for a .355 hitting percentage. She added two service aces and a block assist with two digs. Senior outside hitter and captain Allison Pate posted 11 kills with an assist, a service ace and a match-best 17 digs, while classmate, setter and captain Skye Peters added 30 assists with four aces and seven digs.
 
Senior middle blocker Maddie Carter added five kills with a block solo and a block assist, while rookie outside hitter Norah Schweitzer had four kills with a block solo and a block assist.
 
In the opening set of action, the Corsairs battled back from an early deficit to take a 9-6 advantage on back-to-back aces from Seutter. The Corsairs continued to add to the margin later on, but three straight points from the visitors saw the gap close to 15-12. UMD answered with a 5-0 run to open up a 20-12 margin, but Plymouth once again bounced back, using a 4-0 run late to make it a 24-22 score. The Corsairs sealed the win on a Schweitzer strike for the 1-0 lead.
 
Second set action once again saw the home team come from behind, tying the score at 9-all on an ace from Peters. The Panthers went ahead, but a 5-0 run – which included three PSU errors – put the Corsairs back up by 14-11. Despite the momentum, the visitors once again made things interesting with four straight points for a 24-23 score. A kill from Seutter soon followed to give the Corsairs a 2-0 match advantage.
 
Final set action saw the Panthers continue to hold the advantage as an ace from Alice Borriello Diaz made it a 12-10 score. The Corsairs answered in a big way with seven straight points – all off Panthers errors – to counter with a 17-12 lead. Plymouth State got a kill from Sydney Riley to later cut the lead to 22-16, but UMass Dartmouth got a kill from Carter, an ace from rookie defensive specialist Brooke Harrington and a final kill from Pate to seal the match win.
 
UMass Dartmouth returns to action on Thursday, heading to Worcester State for their final regular season game. Match time against the Lancers is set for 6pm.