BOSTON, Mass. – Senior
Annalyn Cahill (Mystic, Conn.) slammed a team-high 11 kills and hit .333, but top-seeded University of Massachusetts Boston posted 10 blocks to defeat fourth-seeded Plymouth State University, 3-1 (25-17, 25-16, 21-25, 25-21), in the semifinals of the Little East Conference (LEC) Women's Volleyball Tournament at Clark Athletic Center Gymnasium on Thursday night.
Plymouth State ends the season at 21-6, while the Beacons improve to 20-8 and advance to Saturday's championship match, where they will host the second-seeded UMass Dartmouth. The Corsairs advanced with a five-set win over third-seeded Keene State in the other semifinal.
UMass Boston used a 6-1 spurt midway through the opening set to take an eight-point lead, and the Beacons maintained the advantage the rest of the way. The hosts followed with an early 10-1 run to take control of the second set, but Plymouth State responded in the third. On the verge of elimination, sophomore
Sya McKay (Somersworth, N.H.) slammed a kill to tie the score at 21-21, and the Panthers scored the next four points to extend the match. Cahill's kill gave the Panthers a 10-8 lead and forced a UMass Boston timeout midway through the fourth set, but the Beacons responded with a 10-4 surge out of the break, and PSU was unable to rally.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 1, UMass Boston 3
- Plymouth State (21-6)
- UMass Boston (20-8)
How it Happened:
- UMass Boston came out strong, but a kill Cahill pulled the Panthers within 6-5 early. The Beacons used a 4-0 spurt to extend the lead to 13-7, but PSU responded with a 3-0 run, capped by a kill from junior Sydney Riley (Haverhill, Mass.), to pull within 13-10. UMass Boston rode an 8-2 surge to pull away and wouldn't allow Plymouth State to recover in a 25-17 win.
- Riley and junior Cami Wessels (Plantsville, Conn.) had early kills as the Panthers went up 3-1 to start the second set. UMass Boston responded with a 10-1 run to take control. The teams traded points, with PSU taking a timeout trailing 22-13. Sophomore Fiona Bailey (Wrentham, Mass.) added a kill, and a Beacons' error closed the gap, but UMass Boston closed out a 25-16 win.
- Sophomore Brooke Wyatt (Concord, N.H.) had a kill to give the Panthers a 10-6 lead in the third set. The Beacons answered, taking a 12-11 lead on an ace. The teams traded points over the next several rallies. Trailing 21-20, McKay tied the score with a kill, and Plymouth State scored the next four points to force a fourth set.
- UMass Boston jumped out to a 4-1 lead, but the Panthers rallied. Bailey and McKay had back-to-back kills to put Plymouth State in front, and a Riley kill later extended the lead to 13-11. The Beacons answered with a 5-0 run to regain the lead and stayed in front the rest of the way. Plymouth State remained within striking distance but was unable to complete the comeback as UMass Boston closed out the 25-21 win.
By the Numbers:
- Cahill finished with a team-best 11 kills and hit .333 with three blocks.
- McKay had eight kills and 12 digs, while Riley added seven kills and three blocks.
- Bailey also contributed seven kills.
- Sophomore Emily Sousa (Farmington, Conn.) recorded 18 assists and six digs, while freshman Kathryn Driend (Sandown, N.H.) added 14 assists and 10 digs.
- Senior Christa Imbriano (Wakefield, Mass.) posted a match-high 21 digs.
- UMass Boston hit .169 and recorded 10 blocks, while the Panthers hit .107 with five blocks.
- Plymouth State defeated the Beacons in last year's semifinal, 3-0.
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