Box Score
BOSTON, Mass. – In the final home match of the UMass Boston Women's Volleyball 2022 regular season which saw the team honor three senior hitters in
McKayla Geraghty,
Brianna Henderson, and
Taryn Broughal, on Senior Night, the Beacons fell, 3-1, to Emerson College in a hard-fought four-set affair.
THE BASICS
UMass Boston 1, Emerson 3
UMass Boston (6-17)
Emerson (17-4)
HOW IT HAPPENED
After an early back and forth opening set, the Lions would go on a 6-0 run, taking a 12-4 lead which would help them take control. Emerson College would stretch their lead to as many as ten points, 20-10, before the Beacons looked to make a furious rally to get back in the first set. A brief 4-0 run looked to swing momentum in UMass Boston's favor, but the Lions would regain their edge and take the set, 25-17.
The Beacons would take an early three-point lead in the second set, 6-3, but an ensuing 7-1 run by Emerson College helped them get back in front, 10-7. However, UMass Boston would not back down and five-point swing on a 7-2 run by the Beacons saw them take a 14-12 lead and force the Lions to call a timeout.
After Emerson College knotted the second set up at 14 all, UMass Boston responded again, manufacturing another lengthy 6-0 run which included three consecutive service aces by junior libero
Ally Dean, putting them ahead, 20-14. That run would be all the Beacons needed to take the second set as another 6-0 run following two points from the Lions saw them take the frame, 25-16.
Riding a momentous second set, UMass Boston jumped out to another three-point lead, 4-1, before the two teams would account for five ties and three lead changes leading to an 11-11 third set. Capitalizing on three errors by the Beacons while recording four kills and a service ace, Emerson College went on a 9-0 run after trailing 11-9, to take a seven-point advantage, 18-11. The run would give the Lions enough breathing room to hold off a five-point rally by UMass Boston and take a 2-1 lead in the match with a 25-21 victory in set three.
In the fourth and final set of the match, Emerson College seized control of the set and never looked back. Cracking open an 11-2 lead, courtesy of an 8-0 run, the Lions would defeat UMass Boston, 25-9, in the fourth set and take the match, 3-1.
BY THE NUMBERS
- In a battle of top setters on each team, senior setter Caroline Bond finished the match with 33 assists while freshman setter Amelia Devlin recorded 25 assists, this is Devlin's eighth match with more than 20 assists
- McKayla Geraghty finished the match with 10 kills, a new season-high for the senior hitter along with four service aces
- Taryn Broughal continued the hot finish to her season, recording 10 kills and six blocks,
- Ally Dean finished with 16 digs and a season-high four service aces in the match, the four services aces also matched her career high
- Sophomore outside hitter Amelia Combs finished the match with 20 kills for the Lions
WHO'S NEXT
The Beacons close out the regular season with a crucial road Little East Conference match against Castleton at 2:00 PM on Saturday afternoon. With a victory against the Spartans and a loss by the University of Southern Maine on the road versus WestConn, UMass Boston would sneak in as the sixth and final seed in next week's LEC Tournament.
