It has been an overall successful season for UMass Boston Women’s Volleyball, and as the regular season approaches its finale, the Beacons are finishing strong. On Oct. 28, Vermont State University Castleton arrived at the Clark Athletic Center for the Beacons’ senior night, and the Knights saw them come out on top. [1]
The first set was a game of catch-up for the Spartans. According to Beacons Athletics, every time the Beacons extended their lead, the gap would close right up. Eventually, the Beacons found themselves in a 24–23 situation, but Melina Sullivan set up a kill for Paige Coulson that would result in the Beacons winning the first set. [2]
The second set was a back-and-forth affair between the two teams. Before they knew it, the Beacons were in the same spot as the last set, 24–23. Unfortunately for them, this time, things didn’t go as planned. The Spartans scored three straight points and tied the match up 1–1 after a 26–24 set victory. [2]
The Spartans and Beacons looked to have a competitive third set, as things were close halfway through with the Beacons up 14–11. However, it was a rout from that point on. The Beacons went on an explosive 11–2 run, resulting in them winning the set 25–13 and regaining the lead in the match. [2]
It was the Beacons’ chance to finish the job in the fourth set, and after opening the set up with a 10–0 lead, it looked like they would do so with ease. The Spartans however, were relentless, and in the blink of an eye, the Beacons’ 10–0 lead had become 24–24, and the set was going past 25. The Beacons would escape the scare with Taryn Broughal’s kill securing a 27–25 UMass Boston victory. [2]
After an intense senior night, the Beacons’ next opponent was the Fisher College Falcons. On Halloween night, the Beacons showed up on their court looking to add another victory to their name before the season’s conclusion, and they were able to do just that with little trouble. [1, 3]
As the match kicked off, the Beacons and Falcons found themselves in a tight game halfway through the first set, with UMass Boston up 12–11. Unfortunately for the Falcons, though, it was the Coulson show from that point on, as she jump-started a 13–1 run with three kills. The Beacons won the first set 25–12 and were up 1–0. [3]
Similarly, the second set was light work for the Beacons. This time, it was Livia Trindade’s time to shine. Four straight kills lit a fire in the Beacons that saw them take a five-point lead. The Falcons did a better job at playing catch-up this time around, but it was to no avail as the Beacons won 25–19 and were a single set away from victory. [3]
The Falcons would not go down without a fight, as they fought through the third set to be within two points late, trailing 20–18 after a 5–0 run. However, the Falcons got sloppy from there on and made several errors that led to their defeat. [3] The Beacons won the final set 25–21 and completed their tenth sweep of the season. [1]
According to Littleeast.com, it seems like the Beacons will be in line for the fourth seed for this year’s Little East Conference tournament. [4] This would match them up against Keene State College and the Owls, a team they swept earlier in the year. [1] With that in mind, combined with the stellar performances they put on these last couple of games, they should feel pretty confident that they can move on to the second round, and perhaps even further. Good luck to the Beacons as they take on the tournament this year.
Sources:
- https://beaconsathletics.com/sports/womens-volleyball/schedule
- https://beaconsathletics.com/news/2023/10/28/womens-volleyball-volleyball-battles-for-conference-win-on-senior-day.aspx
- https://beaconsathletics.com/news/2023/10/31/womens-volleyball-volleyball-sweeps-the-day-and-the-series-at-fisher.aspx
- https://littleeast.com/standings.aspx?path=wvball