PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Junior
Annalyn Cahill (Mystic, Conn.) continued her strong play of late with a match-high 15 kills as Plymouth State University handed the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth its first league loss, 3-1 (25-13, 25-15, 10-25, 25-19), in a key Little East Conference women's volleyball match at Foley Gymnasium on Saturday.
In a rematch of the last two LEC Tournament championship matches, Plymouth State came out firing on all cylinders. The Panthers were flawless in the opening set, posting 15 kills without an error, then held the Corsairs to a .077 attack percentage in the second to grab a commanding 2-0 lead.
UMass Dartmouth rallied in the third to extend the match with a comfortable win, but Plymouth State regrouped with an 8-0 run and strong net play to close out the victory in set four.
Plymouth State improves to 19-6 (6-1 LEC), while UMass Dartmouth drops to 20-7 (7-1 LEC).
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 3, UMass Dartmouth 1
- Plymouth State (19-6, 6-1 LEC)
- UMass Dartmouth (20-7, 7-1 LEC)
How it Happened:
- The teams stayed close early before a kill and block from sophomore Sydney Riley (Haverhill, Mass.) sparked PSU to a 12-7 lead. Graduate student Ella Koelb (Auburn, N.H.) added a kill to make it 19-13, then served out the final six points – with Riley contributing two more kills and a block – to secure a 25-13 win.
- Set two followed a similar pattern. Riley notched back-to-back blocks for a 12-7 advantage to force a timeout, then added another block out of break. UMass Dartmouth stayed within striking distance, but an ace by sophomore Danielle Emerson (Biddeford, Maine) made it 20-12, and Riley's kill capped another double-digit victory, 25-15.
- The Corsairs regrouped in the third, using a 6-1 spurt to grab a 13-4 lead. The Panthers couldn't recover, and a late 9-1 surge gave UMass Dartmouth the 25-10 win.
- The fourth was the most competitive set of the night. UMass Dartmouth built an early 7-4 lead, but Koelb's kill and long service run – aided by key blocking from Riley and Cahill – helped the Panthers rally with eight straight points. The Corsairs cut the deficit to three on multiple occasions, but PSU answered each time before Cahill's final kill sealed the 25-19 win.
By the Numbers:
- Cahill led all players with 15 kills and added four blocks.
- Riley and freshman Sya McKay (Somersworth, N.H.) were dominant in the middle. Riley posted 10 kills (.381) with six blocks, while McKay tallied 10 kills (.409) with three blocks and two aces.
- Koelb finished with 21 assists, 12 digs, eight kills, and five aces.
- Senior Veronika Castro Rodriguez (Toa Baja, Puerto Rico) led the defense with 16 digs and added three aces.
- Emerson contributed 17 assists.
- PSU leads the all-time series, 29-5.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State hosts Colby-Sawyer on Wednesday (Nov. 5) at 4 p.m.
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