PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Sophomore
Sya McKay (Somersworth, N.H.) pounded 20 kills while junior
Sydney Riley (Haverhill, Mass.) added 10 kills and seven blocks to power Plymouth State University to a 3-2 win over the University of Massachusetts Boston, 25-20, 23-25, 25-18, 23-25, 15-6, in a Little East Conference women's volleyball match at Foley Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.
Plymouth State finishes the regular season 20-5, reaching the 20-win threshold for the sixth straight year, while finishing 6-2 in LEC play. The Panthers will be the fourth seed for next week's LEC Tournament, hosting fifth-seeded Eastern Connecticut in a first-round match on Tuesday (Nov. 10) at 7 p.m.
UMass Boston falls to 19-8 (7-1 LEC) after suffering its first conference loss of the season. Despite the setback, the Beacons will be the top seed for the tournament and host a semifinal match on Thursday (Nov. 12).
PSU used a five-point run to gain an advantage in the opening set before holding on for a 25-20 win. The Beacons edged the Panthers, 25-23, in the second set, but Plymouth State responded in the third. The Panthers pulled away in the middle stages, building a lead of as many as eight points before earning a 25-18 victory. The fourth set was tight throughout, with neither team leading by more than three points. With the score tied at 23-23, UMass Boston earned back-to-back points to force a deciding fifth set.
Plymouth State immediately took control of the fifth set, racing out to a 6-1 lead before coasting to a 15-6 win.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 3, UMass Boston 2
- Plymouth State (20-5, 6-2 LEC)
- UMass Boston (19-8, 7-1 LEC)
How it Happened:
- UMass Boston held a 9-8 lead in the opening set, but McKay took over with four kills during a 5-0 surge. The Panthers led by at least three points the rest of the way, with McKay, sophomore Fiona Bailey (Wrentham, Mass.) and senior Annalyn Cahill (Mystic, Conn.) notching consecutive kills to close out the 25-20 win.
- Plymouth State took a 12-7 lead on Bailey's kill midway through the second set, but the Beacons rallied to tie the score at 15-15. The teams traded points until UMass Boston went ahead, 23-20, on a PSU error. The Panthers responded with consecutive points to pull within 23-22. The teams traded points again, but a missed serve gave the Beacons a 25-23 win to even the match.
- UMass Boston held a 9-6 lead early in the third set, but Plymouth State rallied to take a 14-9 advantage on a long service run from sophomore Alice Borriello Diaz (Toa Baja, Puerto Rico). Junior Addison Soleau (Niantic, Conn.) added a pair of kills to extend the lead to eight and force a timeout. The teams traded points from there, with an error by the Beacons giving the Panthers a 25-18 win.
- Cahill and McKay notched kills to give the Panthers a 13-10 lead in the fourth set. The Beacons responded with three straight aces to take a 16-15 advantage, and neither team led by more than two points the rest of the way. A Borriello Diaz kill knotted the score at 23-23, but UMass Boston secured back-to-back points for a 25-23 win to force a fifth set.
- In the fifth set, McKay notched back-to-back kills to force an early timeout with the Panthers leading 5-1. Plymouth State maintained its advantage the rest of the way. Cahill's kill and a Borriello Diaz ace extended the margin to 11-4 before Riley delivered a block and a kill to seal the 15-6 victory.
By the Numbers:
- McKay slammed 20 kills and hit .326. She added three blocks.
- Riley chipped in 10 kills and seven blocks.
- Bailey added nine kills, while Soleau contributed four kills and six blocks.
- Sophomore Emily Sousa (Farmington, Conn.) and freshman Kathryn Driend (Sandown, N.H.) combined for 42 assists and 16 digs.
- Senior Christa Imbriano (Wakefield, Mass.) led the Panthers with 18 digs, while Borriello Diaz added 14.
- PSU hit .213 for the match and .462 in the fifth set. The Beacons hit .071.
- Plymouth State leads the all-time series, 19-17 and has won six of the last seven meetings.
Up Next:
- Fourth-seeded Plymouth State hosts fifth-seeded Eastern Connecticut in the first round of the LEC Tournament on Tuesday (Nov. 10). First serve is set for 7 p.m.
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