Wednesday, Oct. 9 saw a huge game for Beacons volleyball: they welcomed the defending LEC champion UMass Dartmouth to Beaconville in a revenge game.
Last year, the Corsairs swept UMass Boston 3-0 in the LEC semifinals. UMass Dartmouth went on to win the title, securing a place in the NCAA Division III volleyball tournament.
This time, it’s early in the LEC schedule for both squads, and the Beacons looked to gain ground in the conference’s competitive standings.
It was LEC Undivided night in the Clark Athletic Center, and around 170 roaring fans cheered on their Beacons. UMass Boston started off slow in set one, letting UMass Dartmouth get on an early 5-0 run, followed by a 7-0 run. The Beacons came back a little, but still trailed 24-13 without swinging the momentum on their side, losing the first set 25-17.
In set two, the Corsairs hammered the Beacons with a detrimental 12-2 run early. Teams traded blows back and forth after, but a 9-2 run for the Corsairs secured them the win 25-10. UMass Dartmouth outscored the Beacons 50-27 in the first two sets, and things were growing bleak for UMass Boston.
That all changed in set three. The Corsairs secured the lead early with a 5-0 run, but the Beacons bounced back with a 4-0 run of their own. Both teams traded blow after blow, and UMass Dartmouth was able to hold on to a 10-8 lead until the Beacons woke up and sparked an 11-1 run, taking the lead 18-11. The momentum was finally on UMass Boston’s side this time around, and they won set three 25-19.
The Beacons still found themselves down 2-1 in the match and needed to carry the momentum found in set three to make a comeback. However, it didn’t go their way, and UMass Boston lost the match 3-1.
After the game, head coach Stacy Cheney said, “I thought Lauren Westlund and Mya Perron played well today. I think they showed a lot of heart and fight out there, which are two things I love to see.”
“I give a lot of credit to UMass Dartmouth. They’re a good team,” she added, continuing, “Volleyball is a game of momentum, and we were able to ride the wave in the third set. We had a sense of urgency on our side and were able to take the momentum,” said Cheney, reflecting on the night.
Cheney gave “a lot of credit” to UMass Dartmouth, but also to her own team. She said, “We played really well — we’ve increased our strength of schedule a lot, playing two nationally ranked teams. I feel like we’ve done a nice job over the course of the year playing some higher-caliber teams than we have in the past.”
The Beacons responded to the loss well against Rhode Island College on Sat, Oct. 12. UMass Boston was in steep command from start to finish, sweeping the Anchorwomen 3-0. Dylan Wertzberger had a career-high 18 kills in the win, leading the team. Ruby Ackerman had an astounding 28 assists in the games as the Beacons improved to 10-7.
The Beacons will welcome the Western Connecticut Wolves to Boston on Saturday, Oct. 26, and have only a few games left until the LEC tournament. They’re continuing to fight for position.
This article appeared in print on Page 7 of Vol. LVIII Issue V, published Oct. 21, 2024.
