Box Score
BOSTON, Mass. – Led by Julia Murphy's (Canton, Mass.) 12 kills, volleyball remain undefeated in Little East Conference play as they defeated the University of Southern Maine by the final of 3-0 Tuesday evening in the Clark Athletic Center Gymnasium.
Tuesday's win represented the 10th straight Little East Conference regular season win for the Beacons, and 10th consecutive victory over the Huskies. UMass improved to 14-4, 3-0 in the conference, while the Huskies dropped to 13-7, 0-3 in LEC play.
The Beacons as a whole struggled to build any momentum in the conference match earning two 25-19 wins and a 25-20 win in game two. Despite hitting .272 on the night, the Beacons were unable to go on any solid runs in any of the games to gain some distance on the scoreboard.
Murphy's team-high performance came on 28 attempts as the sophomore hitter posted a .321 hitting percentage. The Huskies go-to hitter Jessica Williamson led her team with 14 kills on 51 attempts.
Kirsten Morrison (North Reading, Mass.) and Bri Sousa (Swansea, Mass.) each finished with seven kills, with Sousa producing one of her better match's to-date. The Swansea native hit an impressive .538 as she was not charged with an attack error in the three-game victory.
Emma Rocha (Boynton Beach, Fla.) once again led the setter's core, as she totaled 17 assists in the victory. Elizabeth Glavan (Edina, Minn.) had another solid performance totaling a match-high 22 digs. At the net Sousa picked-up a pair of solo blocks and block assists, to take over as the team leader in both categories.
For Southern Maine, Megan Nilson totaled 19 assists, while Demi Ruder came-up with 15 digs. Mariah Garcia finished second in digs with 13, and Jessica Garnett and Monica Raymond each posted five kills respectively.
With only four conference matches left in the regular season, the Beacons sit atop the standings with their 3-0 record. Behind them Western and Eastern Connecticut State University and Keene State College each carry a record of 2-1. The Beacons have already claimed a win over the Owls, but still have to play both Connecticut schools, as well as the always tough Plymouth State University and UMass Dartmouth.
The Beacons will face all four teams in a span of two weeks to before closing out the regular season with a trip to Atlanta, Georgia when they compete in the Emory University Invitational.
