The regular season is over for the Beacons. They finished with an impressive 18–8 record, and were set to face the Keene State Owls in the first round of the LEC women’s volleyball tournament on Tue, Nov. 12. The winner of this matchup would go on to face the two-seeded UMass Dartmouth Corsairs.
UMass Boston came out firing early in set one, snatching a quick 11–4 lead. They didn’t stop there — later on, they put the hammer down on the Owls, leading 24–11 late. Keene State tried to climb back, but they weren’t strong enough, and the Beacons cruised in sets 25–13.
Keene State came to play in set two, earning the 8–5 early lead. The Beacons battled back, chipping away one by one. With the set tied at 18 a piece, UMass Boston went on a 7–3 run, started by Mya Perron, giving the Beacons the 25–21 win in set two.
The Beacons were up 2–0 and rolled right along in set three with the 25–10 win, earning a first round victory. Paige Coulson led the team with 14 kills, and Dylan Wertzberger led the team with three service aces.
In the semi-finals, UMass Boston faced a familiar opponent: UMass Dartmouth. The Corsairs thundered the Beacons last year in the semi-finals 3–0.
UMass Boston started set one on a 10–0 run, taking the lead 15–6, but the Corsairs fought back to shrink the lead to six. The Beacons stood their ground, leading the match 24–19, and were one point away from their first set win over UMass Dartmouth.
The defensive wall fell for the Beacons at the wrong time as UMass Dartmouth took the set to overtime and snatched the Beacons win 29–27. UMass Boston kept it close in set two, taking the early lead 5–2, but a 6–0 run by UMass Dartmouth let them ride out the rest of it, winning set two 25-19.
With their backs against the wall, UMass Boston was able to tie the third set at 7 a piece, but the Corsairs sucked all hope they had left, and UMass Dartmouth won the match 3–0, advancing to the LEC finals and ending the Beacons’ season.
UMass Dartmouth went on to sweep Plymouth State University in the LEC Finals, and eventually lost to No. 15 Colby College in the NCAA Regional. Not a bad opponent to be bounced by, but they’re far away the best team the LEC has to offer.
On a bright note, three Beacons earned LEC honor nods. Dylan Wertzberger was placed on the second team all LEC, and Mya Perron made the first team. Paige Coulson was selected for the sportsmanship team.
That was it for Beacons volleyball. They had a great year with ups and downs — the team played much tougher competition compared to recent years, playing three nationally ranked teams and standing their ground against the best that the LEC has to offer. It’s encouraging to see what the program is doing. They’re heading in the right direction, and the team will now be looking to improve for the 2025 season.
