DARTMOUTH, Mass. -- The Mustangs took game one against the Corsairs by a final of 25-15 before seeing UMass Dartmouth collect themselves, regroup and win the next three straight sets (20-25, 21-25, 23-25) en route to their seventh win of the season.
With the win, UMD improves to (7-15, 0-4 LEC), seeing a ten game winless streak come to and end while the Mustangs drop to (7-14, 1-3 GNAC).
HOW IT HAPPENED
After the Mustangs collected the first set game victory, 25-15, capitalizing on a .378 attack percentage and posting 14 kills to UMass Dartmouth's nine. The Corsairs then turned the tables, making the most of nearly every opportunity and forcing errors to take the next three sets in tight fashion. In set two, UMass Dartmouth found its pace on the attack game, as Sengara converted on six of her 10 attempts to lead the Corsairs to a .306 attack percentage and a 25-20 win.
After going up 3-0 to start the third set, Mount Ida took back the lead on Alexis Bell's (Salem, Conn.) serve, and edged the lead to as much as five. With the score at 12-15, Nicole Silverman (Chelmsford, Mass.) took the serve for the Corsairs, recording two aces as UMass Dartmouth notched five-straight points to regain a 17-15 advantage. The Mustangs would even the score twice more, but the Corsairs and freshman Jillian Sykora's (Waterford, Conn.) serve, forced five-straight attack errors by the visitors, giving way to a 25-21 win.
The hosts then put away the game in the fourth set, this time led by Wallett's six kills on 10 attempts to keep the score tight. Neither team could build a lead larger than four on the set, and Silverman's eight assists, including two in the last three points to Sengara and Emily West (Holyoke, Mass.) fueled UMass Dartmouth to a 25-23 clincher.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Mustang junior MaryKate Reidy (Agawam, Mass.) had a team high 15 while also tallying 19 digs.
- The Mustangs' Kristy Walton (Fairhaven, Mass.) totaled seven kills herself while padding four assists and 13 digs.
- Freshmen Katherine Eastwood (Amityville, N.Y.) and Alexis Bell (Salem, Conn.) combined for 35 digs, and six kills while Bell tallied a game high 34 assists.
- Senior Mustang captain Alysha Dunbar (Quincy, Mass.) delivered a team high 20 digs.
- UMass Dartmouth put forward its highest team attack percentage in 12 matches on Thursday, posting a mark of .153. The Corsairs' total of 43 kills was also their highest in 12 outings.
- Senior Kayla Kirby (Westport, Mass.) and Silverman combined for 42 assists, both setting new career highs as Kirby recorded 17 and Silverman 21 in the absence of a designated setter.
- The Corsair defense matched a season-high with 83 digs, paced by Sykora's 23, with Sengara tabulating 18 and Silverman 13.
- Kirby registered two solo blocks and three block assists, setting a new career high.
- Wallett's 15 kills marked a new career-high, and she led UMass Dartmouth on the night with a .293 attack percentage.
UP NEXT
The Mustangs will head north to Standish, Maine on Saturday for a tri-match with the Monks of St. Joseph's and Wildcats of Johnson & Wales. UMass Dartmouth will have the weekend off, before returning to the Tripp Center court to meet Nichols at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
Content Courtesy of UMass Dartmouth Sports Information