By: UMass Dartmouth Athletics

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Despite a match-high 16 kills from senior outside hitter and captain Kate Wade, the UMass Dartmouth women's volleyball team saw their 2024 season come to an end, shouldering a 3-1 (20-25, 25-22, 13-25, 22-25) loss to Colby College in the First Round of the NCAA Division III Tournament, hosted at the MIT Regional in Cambridge, Mass. The Corsairs conclude their outstanding season with a 23-7 overall mark, having won the Little East Conference Tournament for the second straight season, made their second straight NCAA appearance and won their first set in tournament play.
 
The opening set of action was a tight affair as neither team led by more than two points until an attacking error by the Mules gave the Corsairs a 7-5 lead. Colby battled back and the two teams traded points, keeping things tied until the 11-11 mark as back-to-back kills from Brady Moseley sparked a 4-0 run for the home team. UMass Dartmouth battled back behind a Mules error and a kill from senior outside hitter and captain Kate Wade, but another 4-0 run for Colby opened an 18-13 margin.
 
Trailing 22-15, the Corsairs got kills from rookie right side Olivia Seutter and sophomore outside hitter Allison Pate to spark a 4-0 run of their own, closing the gap to 22-19. UMass Dartmouth got a kill from Seutter to pull the score to 24-20, but the Mules earned the set win, capitalizing on Corsairs error to close it out.
 
In the second set, the Corsairs battled back, taking advantage of a Colby error with a pair of kills from Wade and a service ace to open a 4-2 lead. The Mules once again responded, going on a 4-0 run to make it a 7-4 advantage. UMass Dartmouth continued to find the answer, taking a 12-10 lead following kills from senior middle blocker Monika Kristjansdottir and Seutter, but Colby found their way back.
 
The Mules cut the deficit to 18-16 on a kill from Moseley, but three straight points – all on errors – opened the Corsairs lead to 21-16. Strikes from Wade and Seutter brought it to set point (24-18), but the home team rattled off four straight points to close the gap to 24-22. The visiting Corsairs took advantage of a service error to claim their first set win in the NCAA Tournament.
 
Third set got underway with a 2-1 lead for the Corsairs, Colby answered, but UMass Dartmouth continued to press, opening up a 7-5 lead behind kills from senior opposite and captain Chelsea Sanker, along with back-to-back kills from Wade. Tied 8-all, the Mules answered with a 4-0 run, including a pair of kills from LJ Grant.
 
A 7-0 Colby stretch, made it a 20-9 lead, broken up by back-to-back kills from Seutter to close the gap to 21-11. With the Mules leading 23-12, the Corsairs capitalized on an attacking error, but Colby took the set win on a pair of UMass Dartmouth errors.
 
Fourth set action saw the Corsairs open an 11-6 advantage behind a 3-0 stretch with kills from Pate, Wade and Kristjansdottir. Colby once again turned the tides, going on a 4-0 run to take a 15-13 lead. Trailing by an 18-15 margin, a kill from sophomore outside hitter Ella Soutter closed the gap and the Corsairs used kills from Seutter and Wade to close the margin to one point (23-22). Despite the momentum, the Mules battled back and closed out the set and the match for the 3-1 victory.
 
The Corsairs were led by Wade, who posted a match-high 16 kills with 12 digs and two service aces. Seutter finished with 12 kills, adding three digs with a block solo and a block assist. Junior defensive specialist and captain Emily Pogorelec recorded a match-best 24 digs, while sophomore setter Skye Peters had 22 assists with 14 digs.