DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Backed by a match-best 12 kills and 15 digs from senior captain Allison Pate – including the 1,000th dig of her career – the UMass Dartmouth women's volleyball team posted a 3-0 (25-17, 25-18, 27-25) win over Rhode Island College in Little East Conference (LEC) action on Wednesday. The Corsairs move to 9-6 overall and 2-0 in conference action, while the Anchorwomen are now 7-9 and 0-3 in the LEC.
 
Pate – an outside hitter – led the way offensively with 12 kills on the night – tying a team-best – adding 15 total digs including the 1,000th of her impressive Corsairs' career. She also notched an ace with a block assists on the night. Junior opposite Olivia Seutter also had a match-high 12 kills with an ace and three digs, while senior middle blocker Maddie Carter had six kills with a match high two block solo and three block assists.
 
Senior setter and captain Skye Peters posted 29 assists with a match-high five service aces, to go along with seven digs and three kills, while rookie defensive specialist Brooke Harrington added 12 digs, four assists and three aces on the night.
 
It was a tight battle to open the first set of action as the Anchorwomen owned a narrow 7-6 advantage following a kill from Olivia Rollinson. The Corsairs worked to battle back and turned the tide soon after, opening a 13-9 advantage behind several visitor errors and a kill from Peters. Rhode Island College narrowed the gap, but a 6-0 run, aided by two aces from Peters and a kill by Seutter saw the score move to 19-13.
 
UMass Dartmouth continued to take advantage and held the lead throughout the remainder as kills from Carter and Pate closed out the set win in the first.
 
The homestanding Corsairs used a 9-0 run in the second set to build up a 14-6 advantage as three kills came from senior middle blocker Ella Soutter. Rhode Island College battled back, closing the gap to 19-16 following a pair of kills from Sarina Marines and Rollinson, but UMass Dartmouth utilized a 4-0 run at the end of the frame to close out the set victory.
 
In the third set of action, UMass Dartmouth owned an 8-4 lead, but the visiting Anchorwomen battled back as they tied the frame at 13-all off a Corsairs' error. Neither team was willing to yield more than a point lead until UMD rallied off three in a row, but RIC continued to counter. The Anchorwomen owned a 24-21 advantage, on the brink of forcing a fourth set, until a 4-0 run – with two kills from Pate – gave the Corsairs a 25-24 lead.
 
Rhode Island College tied things up at 25-25 but kills from Pate and Seutter lifted UMD to the critical Little East victory.
 
UMass Dartmouth returns to action on Saturday, traveling to Western Connecticut State University for a 12pm conference tilt against the Wolves.