Champions once again. After last year’s devastating playoff loss, the University of Massachusetts Boston’s Women Volleyball team returned the LEC postseason hardware back to its rightful place, Clark Gymnasium. The Beacons Volleyball Team experienced their ups and downs this season, but ultimately the year ended on a high.
After starting the year with a 1-7 record, Beacon Volleyball turned things around and finished the second half of the season 11-9, with an overall record of 12-16.  Despite facing adversity, the Beacons were able to turn things around as they hit the final stretch of the season.
The Women’s Volleyball team was on a two game winning streak as they entered the postseason. The Beacons momentum helped lead them to back-to-back lopsided victories in the two LEC playoff games. Against both Western Connecticut State University and Keene State College, the Beacons won three straight games in the best out of five series. UMass Boston won the LEC finale at home in the Clark Center to seal a birth into the NCAA Regional Tournament.
In the first round of tournament play, UMass Boston was eliminated by Bowdoin College. Bowdoin is renowned for having one of the top DIII Volleyball programs in the entire country. During the match, the Beacons fell short of their normal standards and ability. “As a team, none of us had our best day. Nothing seemed to go right during the game. We just couldn’t get things going our way,” said Senior Brianna Susa. “I felt like we were off of our game overall. It felt weird on the floor. It was one of the weirdest games I’ve been a part of.”
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Despite coming short of the ultimate goal, a National Championship, the Beacons did experience some success they can build off of. The LEC hardware, the early season difficulty, the turnaround to success, and the overall experience will be contributing factors to the team’s improvement for next year.
All but one player will be eligible for next year’s season. Only Sousa will be graduating from UMass Boston this spring. The rest of the players have at least one more shot at making it to the national tournament. Sousa appears to be confident that the team will reach the NCAA National Tournament next year.
“Our team was mostly freshmen this year. Early in the season it seemed like a rebuilding year, but we managed to develop quickly. Some of the freshmen were big contributors to making us a playoff threat this year,” said Sousa. “I told them that I 100 percent expect them to be in the National Tournament next year. They gained so much experience this year during our run. Our freshmen had a chance to get minutes in important games and it will only give them confidence when they get back here next year.”
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Sousa is right, the team will have high expectations going into next season. In a quote-on-quote “rebuild year,” the Beacons were able to win the LEC. Imagine what they can do next year as top contenders. “We have some great things to build off of. It was a great season, but losing in the first round leaves a sour taste in your mouth,” said Captain Pepper Baker. “It will be exciting to see what we can do next year.”