It could be a long season.

The UMass Boston women’s volleyball team fell to the Sharks of Simmons College 3-0 on Saturday, September 13. The loss dropped the Beacons to 0-3.

The Beacons have not managed to win one set during the first three games of the young season. At times, one can point to the team’s relative youth and inexperience as the main factors. Other times, a lack of focus seemed to be the culprit.

It was not, however, due to a lack of effort on the part of UMB. The team had built a 19-15 lead until the bottom fell out. Simmons rallied for eight consecutive points and a 23-19 lead. Although Beacons coach Ken Goon twice called timeouts to try and rally his troops, it did little to stop the Sharks from capturing the first set, 30-21.

The second set did not have a promising start for the Beacons as Simmons jumped out to a quick 9-4 lead. UMB did eventually settle down, showing patience and allowing plays to develop, enough so that they tie the score at 20-20. Yet there were still too many Beacon cold spells and breakdowns as the Sharks took the set 30-22, taking a 2-0 lead.

UMB looked to be down and out in the third set as Simmons exploded to 13-4 lead. The Beacons could have simply rolled over, but the team showed an indomitable spirit, led by the fine serving of freshman Amanda Hanson. Several deceptive tips and gutsy digs helped propel the Beacon to first a tie and then, on a clever tip by freshman, Kassandra Rateau, take the lead 17-16.

The good fortune did not last much longer. Simmons went on mini-runs, capitalizing on the confusion and hesitation on the part of the Beacon players. Although UMB tied its high for the season for number of points in a set (27), it was not enough to win the third set.

The Beacons will host a Little East Conference tournament that will be held on Friday, September 20 beginning at 6pm and Saturday, September 21 at 10 am.