(Box Score
vs. UMD) (Box Score vs.
UMB)
BOSTON, Mass. - The Plymouth State University
women's volleyball team split a pair of matches Saturday afternoon
at a Little East Conference round robin at the University of
Massachusetts Boston, defeating UMass Dartmouth in straight sets
(27-25, 25-16, 25-12) but falling in three sets to host UMB (25-16,
25-19, 25-22) at the Clark Athletic Center.
The outcome leaves UMB as the only unbeaten team in LEC play this
season. The Beacons, who also swept UMD, won their 11th
straight contest and improved to 24-4 overall and 5-0 in the LEC,
while PSU is now 25-4 overall and 6-1 in conference play.
UMB, which in enjoying its best season in school history, is ranked
second in the New England Division III poll and PSU is
11th. UMD falls to 17-8 and 0-5 with its two
losses.
The Beacons owned a 14-7 advantage in the first set over PSU, but
the Panthers closed to within 19-16 before UMB closed out the frame
with six straight points. The Beacons took a seemingly commanding
16-7 advantage in the second set, only to see the Panthers rip off
seven straight points on senior Kathy Frankowski's
(Farmington, Conn.) serve. UMB scored eight of the final 12
points to take the set and a 2-0 lead.
The teams were tied at 13-13 in the third set before the Beacons
scored six straight points to take a 19-13 lead, but the Panthers
later knotted the stanza at 22-22. UMB scored the final three
points to win the match in the battle of the final two unbeaten
conference teams.
Senior Kate McWhorter (Bakersfield, Calif.) led the Beacons with a
match-high 19 kills and a .548 hitting mark to go with 12 digs for
her 13th double-double of the year. Freshman Shannon Thompson
(Moorpark, Calif.) recorded 12 kills, while sophomore setter Cassy
Hanneman (Denver, Colo.) racked up 40 assists.
Senior Eliza Badeau (Foster, R.I.) led Plymouth
State with 10 kills on a .304 hitting percentage. Senior
Brianna Kleckner (Terryville, Conn.) set for 20
assists. Sophomore libero Alex Avery
(Milton, N.H.) recorded a match-high 16 digs to anchor the defense.
Badeau dominated UMass Dartmouth with 18 kills and a .500 hitting
clip, while senior Carly Newton (Centerville,
Mass.) put down eight kills. Kleckner registered 36 assists
and Avery recorded a match-high 26 digs.
Plymouth State returns to action Tuesday with a non-conference
match at Salem State, while UMass Boston hosts Emerson College the
same night.
(Courtesy of UMass Boston Sports Information)
-- 30 --
