NASHUA, N.H. - UMass Boston Women's Volleyball came out swinging on Wednesday evening, competing tightly with Rivier in four straight sets before falling in the deciding fifth. 

THE BASICS
UMass Boston 2, Rivier University 3

UMass Boston (10-6, 1-2 LEC)
Rivier University (9-6, 5-2 GNAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
In the opening set, a pair of service aces from Amelia Devlin and three kills from Dylan Wertzberger helped the Beacons to a 7-0 run, turning a 17-10 deficit into a tied set. Though they held late leads of 23-21, 24-23, and 25-24, it was Rivier who put together the final run, closing out the set 27-25.

The second set was all UMass Boston. After opening up an 18-9 advantage, the Beacons used kills from Ally Dean, Lauren Westlund, and Katie Touhy to put together a 7-3 run, taking the set by a final score of 25-12.

The Beacons fight showed once again in the third set as they sparked a 7-0 run while facing match point to cut the deficit from 24-15 to 24-22. Paige Coulson contributed three service aces to the comeback attempt. Ultimately, though, the set went the way of the Raiders by a 24-22 final score.

With the Beacons needing back-to-back set victories to secure the match, a 12-8 lead was cut down to 16-15 in the early goings. Three kills from Taryn Broughal and another from Mikayla Cleary pushed the lead back to a comfortable 21-15. With a fifth set hanging in the balance, the Beacons closed out the fourth, tying the match at two all behind a 25-18 victory.

The deciding fifth set appeared to be either squad's to win with the sides deadlocked at 9-9 on the race to 15. Unfortunately for the Beacons, the rally was not to be as a 6-0 Rivier run secured the set and the match for the hosts.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Despite the loss, the Beacons registered 67 points to 58 for the Raiders
• Westlund led the team with 10 kills and added three aces from the service line
• Four different Beacons recorded double-digit digs and two had double-digit assists
• The Beacons' record in the all-time series dropped to 3-3

WHO'S NEXT
Women's Volleyball will return to their home court on Saturday when they host Keene State College for a Little East Conference matchup.