Wednesday, Oct. 30, UMass Boston welcomed the Rivier University Raiders to Beaconville for a non-conference matchup. The Raiders were riding a three-game losing streak going into the game and looked to turn it around and rain on the Beacons’ parade on Breast Cancer Awareness night; at the time UMass Boston was riding a three-game winning spree.
Both teams brought the heat to start the match. It was a highly contested first set, and neither team refused to give the other the upper hand. But the Beacons eventually broke away with a strong 22-15 lead and didn’t let up, taking set one 25-18.
UMass Boston retained momentum in set two. An early 4-0 run started by Lauren Westlund gave the Beacons a 10-5 lead. The Raiders would come as close as two, but it wasn’t enough. UMass Boston cruised by 25-17. Luck stayed on the Beacons’ side as they rained down the points for a triumphant 25-11 set victory, clinching the 3-0 sweep. The Beacons dominated every statistical category, totaling 43 kills and outsourcing the Raiders in points 53-28, almost doubling them up. The win made it four in a row for UMass Boston.
Saturday, Nov. 2, UMass Boston traveled to Charleston, Vermont, for a doubleheader against two Little East rivals, the Vermont State University of Castleton Spartans and the SUNY Cobleskill Fighting Tigers. Both teams have had subpar seasons, with the Spartans sitting at a mediocre 9-12 and the Tigers at an abysmal 6-17.
The first matchup of the day for the Beacons was against Vermont State of Castleton. An early kill by Mikayla Cleary started the 8-1 run for UMass Boston, a run that only let the Spartans score back-to-back points once. The Beacons won the first set 25-15.
Vermont State of Castleton battled back in set two, taking the 5-4 lead after an attack error by Mya Perron, but UMass Boston quickly took back the lead 10-7, thanks to a Spartan service error. The Beacons held their short lead close to their chest, but not close enough. Vermont State of Castleton went on a 4-0 run to tie it at 17. The Beacons then turned the tide with an 8-2 run, to win the set 25-20 and take the commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
It was clear the Spartans were depleted by set three as UMass Boston took a small 2-1 lead and never looked back, cruising to 25-10 for their second straight sweep, and fifth win in a row. Dylan Wertzberger had four service aces and five blocks, and Perron led the team with nine and a half points.
UMass Boston continued their flaming streak into game two later that afternoon. They swept SUNY Cobleskill 3-0, outscoring the Tigers 75-39, allowing only eight points in set three. Kesmyn Alves led the team in kills with 12.
That makes it six straight for the Beacons, half of them being sweeps. UMass Boston has gained heavy ground with two straight conference wins as they prepare for their final games in the schedule before the playoffs.
