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Wellesley Sweeps #17 UMass Boston
WELLESLEY, Mass. -- For the second time in eight days, Wellesley
Volleyball has toppled a nationally-ranked opponent. Following up
last week's 3-1 win over #18 Springfield, the Blue downed #17 UMass
Boston, 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 25-19), on Wednesday night at Keohane
Sports Center. The win lifts Wellesley to 18-6 overall, while the
Beacons drop to 22-3.
The opening set was a see-saw affair, as both squads battled for
control. After Wellesley inched out to a 22-19 lead, the Beacons
scored four straight for a one-point advantage. But the Blue
answered with three consecutive points to grab a 25-23 win.
Wellesley carried the momentum into the second stanza and built a
commanding 18-10 advantage. The Beacons charged back with a
seven-point run from the service line, trimming the lead to 23-22,
but the Blue again closed out the set with two straight for the
25-22 win.
The Blue built an early lead in set three as well, but UMass
Boston clawed back for a 13-12 lead. After exchanging sideouts
through the middle rallies, Wellesley used an 8-3 run to close out
the game, 25-19, and seal the sweep.
Molly Rattigan led UMass Boston with 9 kills on 11 attempts, for
an .818 hitting percentage. Corrine Porter added eight kills, while
Shannon Thompson chipped in seven. Defensively, Kayla Wilson
tallied 10 digs for the Beacons, while Kirsten Morrison racked up
five blocks. Cassy Hanneman distributed 24 assists in the loss.
Sydney
Carfagno led a balanced attack for Wellesley, pounding
14 kills. Megan
Mills, Julia
Adams, and Caitlin
Laughlin added nine kills each. Traci
Hamanaka anchored the Blue defense with 12 digs.
Isabel
Custodio recorded 37 assists in the win.
UMass Boston returns to action next Tuesday, October 25, at 6pm,
when they host Little East rival Plymouth State. Wellesley travels
to Smith this weekend for the Hall of Fame Tournament. The Blue
will open against Middlebury on Friday at 7pm.
