PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Sophomore
Sya McKay (Somersworth, N.H.) hammered a match-high 14 kills and hit .370 to lead fourth-seeded Plymouth State University over fifth-seeded Eastern Connecticut State University, 3-1 (25-13, 25-17, 18-25, 25-14), in the first round of the Little East Conference (LEC) Women's Volleyball Tournament at Foley Gymnasium on Tuesday night.
Plymouth State secured comfortable wins in each of the first two sets, but Eastern Connecticut rallied in the third set to extend the match. The fourth set remained close in the early going, but McKay's kill and block, coupled with an ace and ECSU error, gave the Panthers a five-point cushion. A long service run from sophomore
Emily Sousa (Farmington, Conn.) extended the margin to 16-8, and the Panthers coasted from there.
Plymouth State improves to 21-5 and travels to top-seeded UMass Boston for a semifinal match on Thursday (Nov. 12) at 6 p.m. PSU handed the Beacons their lone conference setback in the regular-season finale last Saturday and eliminated UMass Boston from the playoffs with a semifinal victory on the road last year. Eastern Connecticut ends its season at 13-9.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 3, Eastern Connecticut 1
- Plymouth State (21-5)
- Eastern Connecticut (13-9)
How it Happened:
- Neither team led by more than two points through the first half of the opening set. McKay served consecutive aces, and junior Sydney Riley (Haverhill, Mass.) and senior Annalyn Cahill (Mystic, Conn.) teamed up on a block to give PSU a 13-9 advantage. The Panthers used a 5-1 spurt to extend the lead to 19-12 before freshman Kathryn Driend (Sandown, N.H.) served out the 25-13 win.
- The Warriors held an early 6-3 lead in the second set, but Riley's kill sparked a 12-2 run as Plymouth State went in front, 15-8. Senior Christa Imbriano (Wakefield, Mass.) contributed several key digs and added a six-point service run during the stretch. The Panthers remained comfortably ahead the rest of the way, with McKay recording consecutive kills to cap the 25-17 victory.
- Eastern Connecticut rallied in the third set, using back-to-back aces to take a 12-7 lead and force a timeout. Plymouth State chipped away, and McKay's kill cut the deficit to three (15-12), but the Warriors answered with a block before extending the lead to 22-13. The Panthers were unable to close the gap as Eastern Connecticut held on for a 25-18 win.
- The Warriors scored the first two points of the fourth set, but Plymouth State regained the momentum. McKay had a kill and a block, and Driend served an ace during a 5-0 spurt as the Panthers went up 9-4. Plymouth State stayed ahead the rest of the way, with Sousa's long service run extending the margin to 16-7. A McKay kill brought the Panthers to match point, and Riley and Cahill followed with a block to send Plymouth State to the semifinals.
By the Numbers:
- McKay posted a match-high 14 kills and hit .370. She added five digs and five blocks.
- Riley added eight kills, five digs and four blocks, while Cahill contributed six kills and four blocks.
- Sousa posted 17 assists and six digs, while Driend added 16 assists, three aces and seven digs.
- Imbriano registered a match-best 19 digs. Sophomore Alexa Marucci (Newton, Mass.) added 10 digs.
- Plymouth State hit .208 for the match while limiting the Warriors to a .044 hitting percentage.
- The Panthers evened the all-time series at 23-23 and have won each of the last seven meetings.
- PSU has at least reached the semifinals in every season since 2018.
Up Next:
- Fourth-seeded Plymouth State faces top-seeded UMass Boston at the Clark Athletic Center Gymnasium on Thursday (Nov. 12) at 6 p.m. PSU swept the Beacons in Boston in last year's semifinal round and have won three of the last four road meetings between the teams.
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