WILLIMANTIC, C.T. - UMass Boston Women's Volleyball hit the road on Saturday and returned with the fourth seed in the Little East Conference tournament. They did so by defeating Eastern Connecticut State in straight sets to finish out the regular season with a 16-9 record.

THE BASICS
UMass Boston 3, Eastern Connecticut State University 0

UMass Boston (16-9, 5-3 LEC)
Eastern Connecticut State University (11-14, 3-5 LEC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
Looking to take care of business on the road, the Beacons quickly found themselves trailing 20-16 in the opening set. A kill by Dylan Wertzberger followed by four Eastern Connecticut errors flipped that deficit into a 21-20 lead for the visitors. The Warriors battled back to put the Beacons on the ropes, leading 24-23 with a match point opportunity. A pair of kills by Livia Trindade sparked a 4-1 run to secure the extended set for UMass Boston, 27-25.

Saturday's second set was contentious early, with the two teams deadlocked at 14 apiece. A host of Warrior errors combined with a service ace from Trindade fueled a 5-1 run that created some separation for the Beacons. Eastern Connecticut continued to battle, but UMass Boston took care of business using the help of kills from Taryn Broughal and Mikayla Cleary to take the set 25-20.

With an opportunity to take the match in straight sets, the Beacons once again found themselves down early in a 14-12 hole. A kill from Ruby Ackerman followed by a pair from Trindade sparked a dominant 13-4 run to close out the match. The Beacons did not let the Warriors breathe, forcing errors and benefiting from Lauren Westlund's second ace of the afternoon. Cleary once again had the last word securing the winning point on a kill.

BY THE NUMBERS

• In their first year under head coach Stacy Cheney, the Beacons finish the regular season with a record of 16-9, their best result since 2018
• Trindade's 2.64 kills per set since returning from injury rank fifth in the LEC
• Ally Dean finished off a career year with 16 digs against the Warriors
  • Her 4.53 digs per set rank third in the LEC
• Ackerman and Amelia Devlin have topped the team in terms of support all year, combining to dish out 31 assists on Saturday
• UMass Boston improved their record in the all-time series with Eastern Connecticut to 13-17

WHO'S NEXT
With a conference record of 5-3, the Beacons earned the fourth overall seed and a home playoff game in the LEC tournament. They will host the fifth-seeded Keene State Owls at Clark Gymnasium on Tuesday, November 7 at 6 PM. They will look to avenge a postseason loss to Keene State that ended their 2022 campaign.