DARTMOUTH, Mass. - UMass Boston Women's Volleyball stayed hot on Friday night, dropping the opening set against Mount Holyoke College before ripping off three straight to win their opening match of the UMass Dartmouth Invitational.

THE BASICS
UMass Boston 3, Mount Holyoke College 1

UMass Boston (5-3)
Mount Holyoke College (4-3)

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Beacons entered their bout with Mount Holyoke on a three-game winning streak, taking all nine sets over the stretch. The Lyons, however, presented a much tougher challenge, erasing an early 6-1 deficit to take a 7-6 lead. The set remained evenly matched until Mount Holyoke snuffed out a late UMass Boston rally, winning 25-21.

The second set was much more lopsided, this time favoring the Beacons. Courtesy of a pair of kills from Paige Coulson and a third from Lauren Westlund, UMass Boston extended their lead to 21-12, putting the Lyons out of the reach of a comeback. The Beacons took the second set by a final of 25-17.

With Mount Holyoke threatening a comeback late in the third set, the Beacons used kills from Dylan Wertzberger and Coulson to stretch a 21-18 lead into a 23-18 advantage. Ally Dean finished off the set for UMass Boston, registering a service ace and assisting on the final point, a kill from Amelia Devlin. The Beacons won the set 25-18 to take a 2-1 lead in the match.

With an opportunity to clinch the match in the fourth set, the Beacons saw continued fight from Mount Holyoke. After rallying to turn a 12-10 deficit into a 16-12 lead, UMass Boston saw the Lyons rally to cut the advantage to 16-15. Looking to avoid a sudden-death fifth set, the Beacons inflated the lead to 22-15 before finishing off the set, and the match, by a final score of 25-19.

BY THE NUMBERS

• The Beacons' four game winning-streak matches their longest over the last three seasons, dating back to 2021
• The team's 5-3 record through eight games is their best start since the 2018 season (started 6-2)
• Wertzberger (13), Broughal (12), and Coulson (10) all finished the match with double-digit kills on the offensive end
• Devlin finished the match with 32 assists, her second time eclipsing 30 on the season
• Ally Dean led the Beacons' defense with 19 digs
• Coulson finished the day with a "double-double", recording 14 digs and 10 kills
• Friday marked the Beacons' first meeting with Mount Holyoke since the 2007 season. They hold a 3-1 advantage in the all-time series

WHO'S NEXT
The Beacons will spend the night in Dartmouth before facing a pair of opponents on Saturday. They will take on Babson College at noon before a date with Roger Williams University at 2 PM.