BOSTON, Mass. – With a combined 22 kills from Emilia Czapiewska (Saint Paul, Minn.) and Eileen Shi (San Francisco, Calif.) volleyball earned their fifth straight victory as they defeated the Engineers of WPI by the final of 3-1 Thursday evening at the Clark Athletic Center Gymnasium.

THE BASICS

UMass Boston 3, WPI 1

UMass Boston (5-6)
WPI (4-7)

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Beacons collected their fifth straight win of the year, despite having a very up-and-down match.  After claiming a strong 25-20 win in the first set, UMB struggled greatly in the second as they hit just .081 which allowed WPI to earn a 25-18 victory.  In the third frame, UMB controlled most of the momentum as they claimed a 25-21 win.  In the final set UMass had to post their first true comeback of the night, as they overcame a three-point deficit midway through the final frame.  The Beacons rattled-off six straight points to take an 18-15 lead.  From there, UMB would maintain a slim lead over the Engineers, until an ace by Emilia Czapiewska sealed the victory (25-20).

Sophomore middle Sarah Doyle (Glendale, Calif.) also had a strong match as she posted eight kills and a .500 hitting percentage.  The six-foot-two-inch middle also had six digs, and a combined five blocks respectively. 

For the Engineers Casey Hunt led the offense with 11 kills, while Azita Bakhtyari finished with a match-high 35 assists. 

Setters Rachel Maslach (Berlin Center, Ohio) and Christina Elliott (Camas, Wash.) were consistent all night, as the juniors each recorded 23 assists.  Maslach also got in on the offensive production as the Ohio native recorded seven kills and four aces. 

Macayla Chianco (Clearwater, Fla.) continued her strong play in the back court with her 24 digs, while the Engineers' Victoria Nassar combined for 20 put-ups. 

THE BASICS

• Thursday's match marked the first meeting between UMB and WPI since 1996
• The Beacons ended a 13-match losing streak to the Engineers with Thursday's victory
• Thursday's contest marked the first time the two teams have met in Clark Gymnasium in the '96 season
• Laura Roman-Castro had one of her best matches of the season hitting .545 and scoring six kills in the non-conference victory

WHO'S NEXT

The Beacons will travel to Western Connecticut State University on Saturday for a 1 p.m. conference match.