After a competitive but disappointing loss to Smith College, the Beacons traveled back home, looking to rebound. They hosted the Monks of Saint Joseph’s College of Maine Wednesday, Sept. 25. The Monks were 1-6 on the road at this point in the season, with an overall record of 4-9.
With around 130 fans in attendance, UMass Boston took command of the first set, jumping out to a 5-0 lead early and refusing to budge. The Monks were able to shrink their deficit to two, trailing 5-3, but a swift 5-1 run by the Beacons helped them close out set one 25-12.
Saint Joseph’s jumped on an early 6-3 lead off a 5-0 run in set number two. UMass Boston soon countered, tying the match at seven apiece with a kill from freshman Addie Blomgren, assisted by sophomore Paige Coulson. The Beacons followed up the effort, going on a dazzling 8-1 run to go up 17-10, eventually holding on to win the set 25-16.
The Monks came to play in set three, again taking a strong early 9-3 lead off a 7-0 run. UMass Boston chipped away at the deficit piece by piece; the Beacons were down 16-11 when a kill by freshman Mary Denny started an astounding 10-1 run, landing them a 22-18 lead late in the set.
Saint Joseph’s wouldn’t go down without a fight, but the Beacons stayed clutch and closed it out 25-21, sweeping the Monks with a couple of impressive comebacks. Dylan Wertzberger and Mya Perron led the team with seven kills each in a great effort all around.
UMass Boston then traveled to Plymouth, New Hampshire, Sept. 28 to open their Little East Conference schedule against the Plymouth State Panthers. Coming into the contest, it was a neck and neck all-time series, tied at 16 apiece — but the Beacons were in a three-game rut against the Panthers, getting swept in every one of those games.
Plymouth State came in on a roll; they carried a thirteen-game win streak before finally breaking to Brandeis University 3-0. UMass Boston had an upset on their minds as they faced the best team in the Little East so far.
But the Beacons started off real slow, losing the first two sets 25-13 and 25-14. UMass Boston found themselves in a deep hole down 2-0, needing a reverse sweep to seal the deal. They fought hard in the third set, coming back from a 20-14 deficit to take the lead 24-23, but the Panthers were just too much to handle and went on a 4-1 run to finish the job.
The Beacons then traveled back home Wednesday, Oct. 2, to host the red-hot Fisher College Falcons, who entered the matchup on a seven-game winning streak. The Falcons flipped their record to a positive and respectable 13-8 record.
UMass Boston had eyes on ending Fisher’s streak, but were suddenly introduced to the Falcons’ flaming offense, who grabbed the first set 25-17. The Beacons then retaliated in set two, sealing the deal on a 13-2 run set off by Denny.
With the match tied at one apiece, UMass Boston generously introduced the Falcons to Beacons volleyball, dominating the next two sets by a combined score of 50-22, taking off for a 3-1 win.
Both Lauren Westlund and Mary Matthews led the team with five service aces on the night in the win.
With a little less than a month left in the season, the Beacons will look to gain some ground in a competitive Little East Conference.
