The UMass Boston Volleyball team took a trip to Springfield, Mass. for the Springfield College Tournament to start off the year. The Beacons faced off against Skidmore College, Westfield State University and Springfield College, and they showed plenty of fight (1). They were victorious in one match and lost two, but stayed competitive in all of them.
Their first match against the Skidmore College Thoroughbreds was a fierce battle from the start. The Thoroughbreds took the first two sets, but it was no easy task for them. The Beacons lost those sets 25–21 and 25–22 respectively, keeping the Thoroughbreds on edge (2). Despite their tough play, it looked like the Beacons were going to start the tournament by getting swept, but they refused to let that happen.
Being down 22–19, the Beacons went on a run led by Paige Coulson, Katie Rennie and Lauren Westlund, which evened the score at 23. The teams traded points once again to make it 24 all, and that’s when Taryn Broughal ended the set with two consecutive kills, giving the Beacons a 26–24 set victory (2). Unfortunately, though, it was not enough.
The fourth set resulted in a 25–20 Thoroughbred victory, earning themselves a 3–1 win (2). Despite the loss, the Beacons impressed and proved to be tough opponents. They would get the opportunity to show this off in the doubleheader the next day, where they would first meet the Westfield State University Owls and take care of business (3).
After starting off slow, the Beacons rallied back to take the first set 25–21. However, in the second set, the opposite happened. The Beacons at one point held a 10–3 lead but found themselves only up 23–21 as the match neared its end. Fortunately, they managed to hang on 25–22 (3).
After a stressful first two sets, the Beacons absolutely dominated the third set to complete the sweep. They crushed the Owls 25–14, securing their first victory of the new year. However, the euphoria from the sweep didn’t last long, as the second half of the doubleheader against Springfield College wasn’t anything like the first (3).
The Pride were tough, and the Beacons experienced that firsthand. The first set ended in a comfortable 25–16 victory. In the second set, things began to look up. The Beacons were able to get as close as 24–23 but fell just short. The last set was very reminiscent of the first, ending in a 25–17 Pride victory, thus completing the sweep on their home turf (3).
It’s tough playing the second half of a doubleheader, especially against the host team, but it’s very clear that this year’s squad has a lot of potential. Almost every set they played in this tournament proved to be competitive, whether they came out on top or not. Broughal, Westlund and Coulson—who is only a freshman—all made their presence known that weekend and showed opposing schools that no match against them would be an easy one.
This weekend, Sept. 15 and 16, after a few regular season games, the team will get a chance to show their skills once more. They will head down to Dartmouth, Mass. where they will participate in the UMass Dartmouth Invitational. They are scheduled to face off against Mount Holyoke College, Babson College and Roger Williams University (1).
This event could be a great opportunity to see the adjustments made since the Springfield College Tournament and show the Beacons’ true potential. It is undeniable that they have talent on the roster, and although the record may not look pretty at the moment, there is still plenty of volleyball to be played before the Little East Conference tournament comes around.
Sources:
- https://beaconsathletics.com/sports/womens-volleyball/schedule
- https://beaconsathletics.com/news/2023/9/1/womens-volleyball-volleyball-drops-season-opener-at-springfield-college-tournament.aspx
- https://beaconsathletics.com/news/2023/9/2/womens-volleyball-volleyball-secures-first-victory-of-the-season-in-doubleheader-split-at-springfield-college-tournament.aspx