Panthers fall to top team in New England
PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Sophomore Shannon Thompson
(Moorpark, Calif.) and freshman Corinne Porter (Huntington Beach,
Calif.) combined for 24 kills Tuesday evening as the University of
Massachusetts Boston defeated Plymouth State University in straight
sets in a Little East Conference women's volleyball match at
Foley Gymnasium.
The Panthers kept the match close but could not take a set from the
Beacons, the defending conference champions who are ranked No. 1 in
the New England Women's Volleyball Association's weekly
poll. UMB won by set scores of 28-26, 25-20 and 25-23, posting its
fifth straight win and improving to 23-2 overall and 6-0 in LEC
matches. PSU, which lost to UMB in last season's LEC
championship match, dropped to 16-12 overall and 4-2 in conference
play.
Thompson recorded 13 kills for the Beacons while Porter added 10
and junior Molly Rattigan (Dorchester, Mass.) chipped in with nine.
Thompson also contributed a team-high 12 digs, while sophomore
libero Bethany Rossoll (Colorado Springs, Colo.) finished with 10
digs. Junior Casey Hanneman (Denver, Colo.) and sophomore
Frana Burtness-Adams (Fairbanks, Alaska) shared setting duties,
finishing with 19 and 12 assists, respectively.
|
| PSU Volleyball Senior Night at Foley Gymnasium. |
| |
Freshman Allie Jones (Canton, Mass.) and sophomore
Casey Stoodley (Salem, N.H.) led the way for the
Panthers, Jones with a team-high 12 kills and Stoodley with her
14th double-double of the season with 11 kills and 14 digs.
Junior libero Danielle Stoodley (Salem, N.H.)
recorded a team-leading 15 digs, and junior setter Sarah
Cady (Holliston, Mass.) contributed 12 digs and 32
assists.
It was both Senior Night (right) and “Dig
Pink” night at Foley Gym, as PSU recognized senior
Kelsey Petty (Salem, N.H.) before the match and
both teams wore pink as part of their uniforms before and during
the match in support of Breast Cancer Awareness.
The first set was tight all the way. It was tied at 21-all,
and neither team won two in a row until the Beacons pulled out the
match with two straight points with the scored tied at
26-apiece. The visitors went ahead 13-9 in the second set and
never relinquished the lead. PSU stayed within four points
until the Beacons pulled ahead 24-18 and finally won,
25-20.
The third set was close just like the previous two. The teams
were tied at 17-17 when the Beacons rattled off four straight
points. PSU tallied four of the next five points to pull to
within one at 22-21, and the teams traded the next four points to
give UMB match point, which they won on a Panther attack error.
PSU wraps up the regular season on Saturday with an LEC match at
Rhode Island College. UMB will face Keene State on Thursday
for the Little East regular season title.
-- 30 –
