DARTMOUTH, Mass. - The second day of the UMass Dartmouth Invitational saw UMass Boston Women's Volleyball split a pair of games to improve to 5-1 in their last six. The Beacons dropped the opening match against Babson College 3-0 before defeating Roger Williams University 3-1 in the late game.

THE BASICS
UMass Boston 0, Babson College 3
UMass Boston 3, Roger Williams University 1

UMass Boston (6-4)

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Beacons opened the day with a matchup against a Babson College squad who's lone loss on the season came against eleventh-ranked New York University. 

The Beacons showed fight against the Beavers, flipping a 23-18 deficit into a 23-23 tie late in the first set. Babson, however, would hang on to win the opening set and went on to sweep the match in straight sets.

UMass Boston saw another tough fight in the opening set of their matchup with Roger Williams. The Hawks battled late to cut the Beacons' lead to 23-21. Needing two points to avoid an extended set, the Beacons turned to two of their kill-leaders in fifth-year player Taryn Broughal and first-year player Mya Perron to finish off the point.

In the second set of their second match, the Beacons showcased an offensive run that has become the norm as of late. Tied 8-8 in the early goings, Toni Guerra stepped in to serve and would not surrender the position until the Beacons had doubled their score. The nine points in a row contributed to a 13-1 run that gave UMass Boston a 20-9 lead. They would go on to close out the second set by a final score of 25-14.

A back-and-forth affair in the third set saw the Beacons tied with the Hawks at 22 with an opportunity to sweep for the fifth time in ten matches. Roger Williams, however, had other plans as they ripped off three straight points to force a fourth set.

Looking to secure their second victory of the weekend, the Beacons found themselves with leads of 13-8, 16-12, and 21-14 in the fourth set, but could not keep the Hawks away for good. After a Lauren Westlund kill tied the match at 23, Ally Dean pushed the set to match point with a service ace before Amelia Devlin finished off the victory with a kill.

BY THE NUMBERS

• The Beacons are off to their best 10-game start (6-4) since the 2018 season when they started 7-3 on their way to a Little East Conference Championship
• Broughal and Paige Coulson led the way offensively for the Beacons with 16 kills apiece in the two matches
• Devlin recorded a season-high 41 assists in the victory over Roger Williams
• The Beacons benefited from 15 aces against the Hawks, including five from Devlin
• Dean finished the day with 32 total saves in the two games

WHO'S NEXT
The Beacons will play their home opener on Wednesday, September 20 when they host Fisher College at Clark Athletic Center. The team will be celebrating Professor Appreciation Night on Wednesday.