UMass Dartmouth Holds Off Keene State in Five Sets to Advance to LEC Championship Final

11/12/2026 9:21:18 PM

DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Olivia Seutter recorded 16 kills, and Allison Pate contributed 14 kills, 21 digs and six service aces as second-seeded UMass Dartmouth defeated third-seeded Keene State, 3-2, in the semifinals of the Little East Conference (LEC) Women’s Volleyball Championship Thursday at the Tripp Athletic Center. The Corsairs won by set scores of 25-23, 25-20, 21-25, 21-25 and 15-12 to advance to the championship final.

HOW IT HAPPENED

UMass Dartmouth survived a late Keene State rally to claim the opening set, 25-23. The Owls erased a 19-13 deficit and moved ahead, 23-22, following consecutive service aces from Alexis Small. Seutter answered with a kill before consecutive Keene State attack errors gave the Corsairs the set.

The Corsairs followed with a 25-20 victory in the second, recording 14 kills and hitting .238. After Keene State took a 15-13 lead, UMass Dartmouth responded with four consecutive points to move ahead. Maddie Carter supplied three kills down the stretch, including the set-clinching point, to give the hosts a 2-0 advantage.

Keene State extended the match with a 25-21 victory in the third, totaling 13 kills and five team blocks while limiting UMass Dartmouth to a .114 hitting percentage.

The Owls then overcame a 5-0 deficit in the fourth to force a deciding set. Keene State served six aces in the frame and scored the final three points, closing out the 25-21 victory on a kill from Reece Connors.

In the fifth, Keene State built an 11-9 lead before UMass Dartmouth answered with three consecutive kills to move ahead, 12-11. Sarah Bartels tied the score with a kill, but Seutter delivered back-to-back kills to give the Corsairs match point. Carter and Norah Schweitzer combined for a block to secure the 15-12 victory. UMass Dartmouth hit .375 with 12 kills in the deciding set.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

  • Seutter paced UMass Dartmouth with 16 kills, while Pate finished with a double-double of 14 kills and a match-high 21 digs, adding six service aces.

  • Schweitzer contributed 11 kills and seven digs, while Carter finished with 10 kills, a .240 hitting percentage and five total blocks.

  • Skye Peters directed the Corsairs’ offense with 45 assists and added seven digs, three kills, three service aces and two total blocks.

  • Brooke Harrington registered 15 digs for UMass Dartmouth.

  • Bartels led Keene State with a match-high 18 kills on a .378 hitting percentage.

  • Bella Bacon added eight kills, 15 digs and four service aces, while Connors finished with eight kills and five total blocks.

  • Aiya Dottin recorded 10 total blocks, including two solo stops, and Colleen Fraser added eight block assists and seven kills.

  • Small totaled 20 assists, nine digs and six service aces. Ava Harkins added 17 assists, while Shaunah Bracken led the Owls with 18 digs.

  • UMass Dartmouth held advantages in kills (58-51), assists (50-47) and digs (67-65), hitting .205 to Keene State’s .178. The Owls led in service aces (16-14) and total team blocks (15-7).

UP NEXT

UMass Dartmouth travels to top-seeded UMass Boston for the LEC championship final.