BOSTON, Mass. – Visiting UMass Dartmouth dropped the first set by a 25-16 score but rallied to take the next three sets and defeat the Wentworth women's volleyball team, 3-1, in non-conference action Thursday night.
The opening set saw an early battle as the two teams had four ties before the Leopards led by as much as six (15-9). The Corsairs would cut the lead to 17-13 before Wentworth rolled off six straight points, en route to the win.
UMass Dartmouth rallied from an early, 10-4 deficit in the second set by scoring 11 straight points to take a 15-10 lead. Wentworth cut the gap to 15-13, but three straight Corsair points widened the gap and the visitors would go on to win, 25-20.
In the third set the teams went back and forth in the early going, forcing six ties, including at 11-all. UMass Dartmouth countered with eight of the next nine points and never looked back, taking a 25-19 win before ending the match with a 25-20 win in the fourth set.
Sophomore Bianca Cabral (Dartmouth, Mass.) had 40 assists, senior Cami Ascher (Natick, Mass.) led the way with 20 kills, and senior Allie Mastrocola (Swansea, Mass.) had 13 kills. Senior Shannon Brodie (Chelmsford, Mass.) led the defensive effort with 19 digs, while Mastrocola had 17, and senior Kaitlin Hogan (Tewksbury, Mass.) had four blocks in a winning effort for the Corsairs.
Junior Julie Rahilly (Nashua, N.H.) had 14 kills and 16 digs for the Black & Gold, with classmate Nicole Wetherbee (Pembroke, Mass.) adding 12 kills and 11 digs. Senior Julie Bruton (Montgomery, Texas) chipped in with an 11-kill performance, while freshman Shannon Ponce (San Jose, Calif.) had 40 assists.
With the win UMass Dartmouth improves to 13-12 and hosts a tri-match against Keene State and Clark on Saturday. Wentworth falls to 12-13 and hosts Mass. Maritime on Saturday.
