BOSTON, Mass. – Led by Tournament MVP Pepper Baker (Tallahassee, Fla.) UMass Boston reclaimed its place atop the mountain as they earned their sixth conference tournament title following 3-0 win over Keene State College Saturday afternoon in the Clark Athletic Center Gymnasium.  With the win the Beacons earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

THE BASICS

UMass Boston 3, Keene State College 0

Keene State College (23-9)
UMass Boston (12-15)

HOW IT HAPPENED

In the fifth conference championship meeting between UMass Boston and Keene State College, the Beacons pounded the Owls in straight sets to hoist their sixth conference crown.  Baker earned her MVP honors after posted 25 aces, seven digs, and three block assists.  Junior All-American Julia Murphy (Canton, Mass.) led the match with 11 kills, while freshmen Haley Diedrick (Canton, Mich.) and Eileen Shi (San Francisco, Calif.) posted 17 kills respectively.

Defensively the Beacons saw Elizabeth Glavan (Edina, Minn.) post 12 digs, while Diedrick finished with 11. 

In the opening frame the Beacons cruised past their longtime rivals as they hit .387 to earn a 25-19 win.  Their second set was even more impressive, as they finished with a combined 12 kills to post a 25-16 win.  The final set, was a back-and-forth battle from start to finish, but with a 5-0 run to seal the victory the Beacons downed the Owls 25-19.  Diedrick scored the match-winning point on a perfectly place serve that aced Keene State.

BY THE NUMBERS

• With their sixth conference championship, UMass Boston is now tied with Western Connecticut State for most titles in conference history
• Murphy was the only player to record 10 or more kills in Saturday's championship
• The Beacons hit a combined .234 in the victory, while holding Keene State to just a .037 hitting percentage.
• Riley Bunker led the Owls and the match with 16 digs

WHO'S NEXT

The Beacons will find out where they will be going and who they will be facing in this year's NCAA Regional Tournament on Monday at 11 a.m. on NCAA.com