BOSTON, Mass. – Four Beacons finished in double-figures in kills to help lift volleyball to a huge 3-2 Little East Conference Tournament semi-final win over the third-seed Keene State College Owls Thursday evening in the Clark Athletic Center Gymnasium.
THE BASICS
#2 UMass Boston 3, #3 Keene State College 2
UMass Boston (13-12)
Keene State College (17-13)
HOW IT HAPPENED
With the win, the Beacons will now host the 2021 Little East Conference Championship match on Saturday, and will face the fifth-seeded Warriors of Eastern Connecticut State University. ECSU, upset the top-seed Plymouth State University 3-1 to earn the program's third championship appearance in the last 13 years.
The Beacons will be hosting their first conference championship match since the 2017 season. UMass Boston is looking to win their second straight LEC title and 10
th title overall.
After exchanging wins through the first four sets, it all came down to the fifth and final frame. The Owls quickly jumped out to a 4-1 lead, but were immediately countered following a UMB timeout. The Beacons would go on a quick 3-1 run to tie the set at 5-5.
The two rivals would exchange points through the middle-third of the stanza. Keene State had their chance to put the Beacons away as they took a 12-9 lead. The Beacons would respond with a 6-1 run to complete the victory.
Marcelle Tiscareno (El Paso, Texas) pushed the Beacons to the finish line with a pair of thunderous kills. The senior middle completed the win with 13 kills and a .400 hitting percentage.
Livia Trindade (Sao Luis, Maranhao, Brazil) looked like a seasoned veteran despite playing in her first LEC Tournament match. The sophomore hitter put down 10 kills and led the Beacons with a .429 hitting percentage.
Aleks Qose (Athens, Greece) and
Emilia Czapiewska (Saint Paul, Minn.) combined for 30 kills respectively in the victory.
Carsen Komminsk (Worthington, Ohio) tallied 53 kills and led UMB with three aces.
Ally Dean (Portland, Ore.) put-up 15 digs, while
Toni Guerra notched 10 digs.
BY THE NUMBERS
- On the night the Beacons hit .282, while Keene State finished hitting .163
- All-time the Beacons are now 22-13 against the Owls
- UMB is now 20-1 against Keene State going back to September 26, 2009
- In total the score was tied 21 times and there were seven lead changes in Thursday's contest
- Saturday's championship match will be the first meeting between UMB and ECSU
WHO'S NEXT
The Beacons will host ECSU on Saturday at 1 p.m. The winner will earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
