No. 1 UMass Dartmouth and No. 3 Plymouth State to meet AGAIN in LEC Women’s Volleyball Final

11/13/2025 8:56:28 PM

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - For the third consecutive season, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Plymouth State University will play for the Little East Conference (LEC) Women’s Volleyball Championship Tournament title after winning their respective semifinal matches Thursday night. The LEC title match will take place Saturday at 6 p.m. at UMass Dartmouth’s Tripp Athletic Center.
 
The two-time defending and top-seeded Corsairs advanced to the LEC final after sweeping No. 5 Wester Connecticut State University. The Panthers swept their way past No. 2 UMass Boston, avenging their regular season loss to the Beacons just five days ago.
 
No. 1 UMass Dartmouth 3, No. 5 Western Connecticut 0 - Box Score

For the third straight season, the UMass Dartmouth volleyball team is headed to the Little East Conference Championship following a 3-0 (26-24, 25-21, 25-20) victory over Western Connecticut State University on Thursday evening. The top-seeded Corsairs move to 21-7 overall, while the fifth-seeded Wolves conclude their season at 20-7.
 
It not only marks the third straight championship appearance for the Corsairs, but the third consecutive title game against Plymouth State. The third-seeded Panthers posted a 3-0 victory at second-seeded UMass Boston to return to the championship match. UMass Dartmouth hosted and won (3-2) in 2023 and then traveled to Plymouth in 2024, recording the road victory (3-0) for the second straight title.
 
In Thursday's match against the Wolves, junior captain and outside hitter Allison Pate stole the show, recording a match-high 20 kills with just two errors on 43 swings for a .419 hitting percentage. She added a match-best 23 digs with a block solo. Sophomore opposite Olivia Seutter notched 16 kills with two errors on 34 swings for a .412 hitting percentage, adding two block assists and two digs, while senior defensive specialist and captain Emily Pogorelec added 22 digs with three assists and two service aces. Junior setter Skye Peters finished with 31 assists, adding 10 digs with two kills and a block assist.
 
The opening set proved to be wild as the Wolves battled back from an 8-5 deficit to take a 10-9 lead on a kill from junior outside hitter Julia Stoliker. The Corsairs answered, regaining the lead behind kills from Pate and Seutter, but a five-point swing by the visitors later saw WestConn with a 22-20 lead late.
 
Facing a 24-22 margin, UMass Dartmouth rallied, firing off four straight points with three straight kills from Pate and a final strike from rookie middle blocker Aleek Kuot to take the 26-24 win and a 1-0 match lead.
 
Second set action saw the Corsairs open a 7-4 lead behind another kill from Pate, but an error and a kill from sophomore middle blocker Ava Grace Gardner helped pull the score even at 8-all. UMass Dartmouth regained the advantage and continued to hold a two-point margin until a kill from Stoliker made it 16-17 in favor of the home team.
 
The Corsairs quickly answered, going on a four-point run, with kills from junior opposite Maddie Carter and Seutter for the 21-16 lead. WestConn saw rookie middle blocker Ella Hubert later lay down a kill to cut the margin to 23-21, but an error and a kill from Pate closed out the set win for the 2-0 match advantage.
 
In the third set, the two teams kept it close until the 11-8 point as the Corsairs turned a two-point lead into a five-point swing on a kill from Carter and a Pogorelec ace (14-8). The Wolves refused to back down facing a 21-14 margin, recording four straight points to close the gap (21-18), but the Corsairs saw Pate record a kill while Seutter posted three kills to conclude the match.

No. 3 Plymouth State 3, No. 2 UMass Boston 0 - Box Score

Graduate student Ella Koelb (Auburn, N.H.) hammered a match-high 18 kills as third-seeded Plymouth State University rallied from a late deficit in set three to sweep second-seeded University of Massachusetts Boston, 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 26-24), in a Little East Conference (LEC) Women's Volleyball Tournament semifinal at Clark Athletic Center Gymnasium on Thursday evening.
 
Plymouth State improves to 22-7 and advances to the conference championship match for the fourth straight year. For the third year in a row, the Panthers will face top-seeded UMass Dartmouth for the LEC's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. First serve for Saturday's (Nov. 15) title match is set for 6 p.m. at Tripp Athletic Center. UMass Boston concludes its season at 14-13.
 
UMass Boston erased a late five-point deficit to tie the opening set at 22-22, but Koelb broke the deadlock with a kill and PSU held on for a 25-23 win. The Panthers built a 12-6 lead in set two and stayed in control the rest of the way. The Beacons closed within one several times but never pulled even, and their eighth service error of the set sealed PSU's 25-22 win and a two-set lead.
 
The Beacons looked ready to force a fourth set, racing to a 10-3 advantage in the third. Plymouth State still trailed 24-21 before Koelb's kill and three straight UMass Boston errors swung momentum. Sophomore Sydney Riley (Haverhill, Mass.) capped the comeback with a kill to send the Panthers back to the finals.
 
The Basics:
  • Plymouth State 3, UMass Boston 0
    • Plymouth State (22-7)
    • UMass Boston (14-13)
How it Happened:
  • The Beacons opened set one with four straight points, but PSU answered with six straight to take the lead. Junior Annalyn Cahill (Mystic, Conn.) pushed the advantage to 13-8, and the Panthers remained in front. UMB closed to within 16-15, but a Beacons' error and an ace from sophomore Danielle Emerson (Biddeford, Maine) sparked a 5-1 run. UMass Boston rallied to tie it at 22-22 before Koelb and Cahill closed out the 25-23 win.
  • Graduate student Ava Duymazlar (Center Harbor, N.H.) sparked a strong service run to help PSU build a 12-6 lead in set two. The Beacons clawed back to 18-17, but continued service miscues kept PSU ahead. Two more missed serves, plus kills from Koelb and freshman Sya McKay (Somersworth, N.H.), gave Plymouth State set point at 24-21. The hosts trimmed the deficit, but another service error secured the 25-22 victory.
  • With their season on the line, UMass Boston surged to a 10-3 lead in set three. PSU chipped away but still trailed 24-21. A Koelb kill and Beacons' error cut it to 24-23. The Panthers tied the score out of a timeout, and another UMB miscue gave Plymouth State match point. Riley sealed the sweep with a kill for the 26-24 win.
By the Numbers:
  • Koelb finished with 18 kills, 12 assists and seven digs.
  • McKay posted seven kills and two aces, while Cahill added five kills.
  • Emerson registered 21 assists, two aces and 11 digs.
  • Senior Veronika Castro Rodriguez (Toa Baja, Puerto Rico) anchored the back row with 21 digs. Junior Christa Imbriano (Wakefield, Mass.) and freshman Alice Borriello Diaz (Toa Baja, Puerto Rico) added 11 and 10 digs, respectively.
  • PSU recorded 76 digs – its most in any three-set match this season.
  • The Panthers notched six aces. UMass Boston served eight aces but committed 13 service errors.
  • Plymouth State reached the LEC Tournament finals for fourth straight year and fifth time in six seasons.