Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. - Freshman Amanda Keppel (Springfield, Pa./Merion Mercy) had 13 kills, 24 digs and three service aces to lead the University of Southern Maine Huskies to a thrilling 3-2 (19-25, 25-22, 25-16, 18-25, 15-8) win over the UMass Dartmouth Corsairs in a Little East Conference volleyball match Saturday afternoon at the Tripp Athletic Center, clinching a spot in the upcoming LEC Championship Tournament. USM fell to Rivier 3-0 (25-15, 25-16, 25-13) in its final regular season match of the season.
With the win over UMass Dartmouth, Southern Maine earns the sixth-seed in the Little East Conference tournament and will travel to third-seed Plymouth State on Tuesday, November 5 (7:00 p.m.). It marks the first time since the 2003 season that the Huskies have earned a spot in the conference tournament. Southern Maine is now 22-10 overall and 2-5 in the LEC. USM's 22 wins equals the school-record for wins in a season set in 1976 when the Huskies were 22-12. UMass Dartmouth fell to 7-22 overall and 1-6 in the LEC with the loss to the Huskies. Rivier improved to 23-8 overall with the win.
After falling 19-25 in the opening set, USM won the second and third set 25-22 and 25-16 to take a 2-1 lead. The Corsairs forced the fifth set with a 25-18 win in the fourth. The Huskies took control of the match in the fifth set racing to the 15-8 win.
Keppel sung for 13 kills on 29 attempts, while classmate Kristina Rubico (Chelmsford, Mass.) hit for 13 kills on 53 attacks. Rubico added 10 digs and a pair of service aces. Freshmen Megan Nilson (Granby, Conn.) set for 30 assists in a strong performance, adding two service aces and 13 digs.
In the match against Rivier, Rubico and Keppel again led the Husky attack. Rubico had eight kills on 18 attacks for a solid 38.9 hitting percentage, while Keppel added seven kills.
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