UMass Boston Beacons (13-1, 2-0) went into the game against the University of Southern Maine Huskies(3-13, 0-2) sitting atop the Little East Conference. Despite the disparity between the two teams’ records, coach Terry Condon emphasized the importance of not overlooking the opponent. “It is a conference game and the team knows that it is important.” Coach said prior to the game Tuesday night, “If we don’t win in conference, we don’t go to the NCAA (tournament). We know we have to play hard.” It seems the team took her words to heart. The Beacons took a quick 15-2 lead in the first set and never looked back. Sophomore Frana Burtness-Adams provided the team with ten consecutive points on her service and the team cruised to a 25-9 win in the opening frame. The Huskies continued to look overpowered in the second set. Freshman phenom Corrine Porter, fresh off of being awarded the Little East Conference Rookie of the Week for the third time this year, had five of her nine kills in the second set and fueled UMass to a 25-10 second set victory. The third set was more of the same as Umass dominated every facet of the game. Shannon Thompson looked dominant, tacking on four kills to make a total of eleven, along with two blocks and a dig for the night. It should also be noted that she appeared to put the fear of God in USM each time she touched the ball, and I can’t say I blame them; Thompson’s hits were reaching Kenny Powers’ speeds and were amazingly accurate, as she had only one error on the night. USM were finally put out of their misery behind a 6-0 run on the service of Senior Michelle Cawley. The Beacons took the third set 25-6, improved to 14-1 overall, and continued their run of dominance. Coach Condon is well aware that their recent success will mean that each opponent will be bringing their “A” game in attempts to gain notoriety and a boost in the rankings, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. “It’s much different than it used to be,” she said “but I would rather have the added pressure that comes with success than the alternative.” If the Beacons continue to play as they did against the Huskies, the alternative doesn’t look likely this season.