BEVERLY, Mass. – It was a very long day for the UMass Boston volleyball (4-4) team.  In the morning the Beacons battled first-time opponent Gallaudet University to a five-set victory before having to wait almost five hours to face their next opponent in Bowdoin College.  After the very long rest, UMass squared off against the Polar Bears in a rematch of last year's NCAA Regional tournament semi-final, but unlike last year's result Saturday's match went to Bowdoin in the form of 3-1 decision in the final match of the 2012 Endicott Invitational.

Against Gallaudet, UMass came out to take a 25-18 win in the first set.  The Bison would then record two-straight wins (25-23, 25-20) before UMass was able to tie the game at 2-2 with their 25-19 victory in the fourth set.  The final set was a close battle that could have went either way, but it was UMB in the end that earned the 15-12 victory to improve their win-streak to three matches and seven over the last two years.

In the nightcap Bowdoin came out firing looking for some payback after falling to the Beacons in last year's regional tournament.  The Polar Bears earned the win the first set with a 25-16 victory.  UMass did bounce back in the second with a 25-20 victory, but the final two sets went to Bowdoin, 25-16 and 25-19.

Senior hitter Shannon Thompson (Moorpark, Calif.) led the Beacons against Gallaudet with her team-best 16 kills and .209 hitting percentage.  Corrine Porter (Huntington Beach, Calif.) continued to play strong scoring 11 kills, followed by Molly Witzmann (Encinitas, Calif.) and Kirsten Morrison (North Reading, Mass.) with six kills each. 

Emma Rocha (Boynton Beach, Fla.) and Megan Pollock (Wilton, Calif.) once again took turns fueling the Beacons attack with a combined 42 assists respectively.  Brooke Nemethy perhaps the most consistent day as she scored a career-best seven aces. 

Porter and Thompson would also finish in double-figures in digs as they recorded 22 and 18 respectively.  Senior Kayla Wilson (San Jose, Calif.) tallied a team-best 22 digs to help the Beacons backcourt.  At the net UMass totaled six blocks, to match Gallaudet's defensive output. 

Their second match of the day would see Amber Clemons (Simi Valley, Calif.) finish with a team-best 10 kills.  Rocha hit a career-high 24 assists in the second match, while Pollock finished with 15.  Porter combined for 18 digs, followed by Wilson with 14 and Thompson with 13. 

Volleyball will make their home debut on Tuesday when they host Colby-Sawyer College at 6 p.m. in the Clark Athletic Center.  Anyone unable to attend the match can listen live by going to http://www.littleeast.tv.