Plymouth St. Plym 23-5,7-1 Little East

UMass Dartmouth UMD 20-6,8-0 Little East

Plymouth St. Plym

23-5,7-1 Little East

Final

Nov. 11, 2023

UMass Dartmouth UMD

20-6,8-0 Little East

Set Scores
Team	1	2	3	4	5	F
Plymouth St. Plym	25	19	18	25	12	(2)
UMass Dartmouth UMD	19	25	25	17	15	(3)

Summary
Box Score

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | 11/11/2023 10:05:00 PM | Christopher J. Kilmer, Assistant Athletics Director, Athletics Communications

VB: Panthers nipped by UMass Dartmouth in five-set battle in LEC Finals

PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Second-seeded Plymouth State University rallied from a 2-1 deficit and held a three-point lead early in the fifth set, but top-seeded University of Massachusetts Dartmouth closed the match on a 4-1 spurt to slip past the Panthers, 3-2 (25-19, 19-25, 18-25, 25-17, 12-15), in the championship match of the Little East Conference (LEC) Women's Volleyball Tournament at Tripp Athletic Center on Saturday night.

Plymouth State finishes the year with a 23-5 record, while the Corsairs move to 20-6 and claim the LEC's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.

PSU got out to a good start, using a surge midway through the opening set to build a lead it would not relinquish to take the opener, 25-19. The Corsairs battled back with wins in sets two and three, but Plymouth State wasn't ready to quit yet.

Sparked by five kills from senior Aynslee King (Anacortes, Wash.), the Panthers slammed 18 kills in the fourth set alone while slowly adding to an early three-point advantage. A huge kill from senior Ryley McNeeley (Easton, Mass.) forced a fifth set.

Plymouth State started strong with a big block for a quick 4-2 advantage, and the Panthers still led, 7-4, when senior Nora Ryan (Groton, Conn.) slammed a kill off the UMD block. The hosts rallied, though, using a three-point run to tie the game at 7-7. The teams traded points up to 11-11, until UMass Dartmouth used a 3-0 spurt to snag match point. A missed serve gave the Panthers life, but UMD captured its first conference title with a kill off the block.

The Basics:

Plymouth State 2, UMass Dartmouth 3
- Plymouth State (23-5)
- UMass Dartmouth (20-6)

How it Happened:

Ryan slammed down an overpass for the game's first point as Plymouth State got out to a quick start. Junior Lilli Stogner (Weare, N.H.) tagged the back line on the first of back-to-back aces for a 6-3 advantage, but UMass Dartmouth rallied to knot the score at 12-12. King found an open spot in the corner to snap the tie and Ryan pounded back-to-back kills for a 15-12 lead. UMD scratched back to tie the set at 16-16, but sophomore Kalista Butler (Philipsburg, Pa.) caught the Corsairs' defense off guard with a well-timed setter dump and PSU would stay ahead the rest of the way. Ryan served an ace after a UMD timeout for a 22-18 lead and junior Lindsey Sanderson (Gilford, N.H.) dropped a kill in the middle of the floor for a 25-19 win.
UMass Dartmouth came out fast in set two to build an 11-6 lead. Junior Makayla Marucci (Newton, Mass.) ripped off an ace to pull within 15-11 and freshman Emma Hampton (Durham, N.H.) picked up an off-speed shot and converted it for a kill to trim the deficit to 20-17. UMD increased the margin to 23-18, but sophomore Riley McDonough (Gilford, N.H.) had a huge dig and Stogner slammed a kill in the transition offense. The comeback bid was short lived, though, as back-to-back errors gave UMD a 25-19 win.
Set three stayed tight through the early stages, with King finding space in the middle of the court for a 12-11 edge. UMass Dartmouth went on a run, though, using an 8-1 surge to grab a 19-13 lead and force a PSU timeout. A missed serve out of the break gave the Panthers life, but UMass Dartmouth was able to play sideout ball the rest of the way for a 25-18 victory.
Stogner's roll-shot kill gave PSU a 6-3 lead in set four, forcing an early Corsairs' timeout. Plymouth State stayed in front, though, as Butler extended the lead with a strong serving run and Ryan's smash made it 13-7. King pounded home back-to-back kills as the lead ballooned to 20-13 and McNeeley forced the deciding set with a booming kill for the 25-17 win.
PSU's block came alive early in set five as Stogner and King teamed up to stuff the UMD offense for an early 4-2 lead. Marucci extended a long rally with a fantastic dig and a Corsairs' error gave PSU a 6-3 advantage. Ryan's kill made it 7-4, but UMass Dartmouth rallied to square things at 7-7. The teams battled for control during a lengthy rally to decide who would lead at the change, and Ryan made it 8-7 with another winner. The score went back-and-forth with neither team being able to pull away. Neither team was able to pull away until, with the score deadlocked at 11-11, UMD got a pair of kills around an error to seize match point, 14-11. A missed serve gave the Panthers life, but UMass Dartmouth captured the title on a kill off the block to win 15-12.

By the Numbers:

Ryan smashed 16 kills and added six digs and a block.
King chipped in 11 kills (.409 attack pct.) and a match-best four blocks, while Hampton and McNeeley pounded ten kills apiece.
Stogner finished with eight kills, two aces and an impressive 23 digs.
Marucci led all players with 33 digs, her third 30-dig effort in the last two weeks.
McDonough posted 29 assists and 14 digs, while Butler added 26 assists and nine digs.
Junior Imalay Rodriguez Martinez (Juncos, Puerto Rico) also finished with double-digit digs with 11.
PSU hit .173 as a team, while the Corsairs hit .144.
Plymouth State was making back-to-back appearances in the finals of the LEC Tournament for just the second time in program history (2003, 2004).