Box Score GORHAM, Maine -- The University of Southern Maine women's volleyball team stunned the University of Massachusetts Boston Tuesday evening taking a thrilling 3-2 (17-25, 25-19, 25-19, 22-25, 15-13) victory in a Little East Conference match at the Warren Hill Gymnasium.
The win was the first for the Huskies over the Beacons since October 2004, and snapped a string of 12 straight losses to the Beacons. USM is now 12-17 all-time against UMB.
The Huskies improved to 19-7 overall and 3-3 in the conference. The Beacons, who came into the match unbeaten in the conference and having clinched the top seed in the upcoming championship tournament, slipped to 10-15 overall and 6-1 in LEC play.
UMass Boston took the first set with some strong frontcourt play from juniors Eileen Shi (San Francisco, Calif.) and Rachel Maslach (Berlin Center, Ohio) and some poor USM hitting (-.148). USM came back to take the second and third sets by identical 25-19 scores, led by senior Jess Williamson (Goffstown, N.H.) who had six kills in the second set and three more in the third.
Shi and the Beacons forced the match into a decisive fifth set by holding off the Huskies to win the fourth set.
Tied at 13-13 in the fifth set, the Huskies won the final two points on a spectacular back-row attack from Williamson after she had two huge digs to keep the point alive, and a kill from rookie Jamie Jannarone (Windham, Maine) to take the win.
Williamson finished the match leading all players with 21 kills, and reached the 1,800-career kills plateau in the fifth set. Sophomore Kylee Austin (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy) added eight kills, and senior Mo Raymond (Sanbornton, N.H./Winnisquam) chipped in six.
Junior setter Nicole Schmitz (St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham) directed the Huskies' attack passing out 40 assists. Senior Mariah Garcia (Brighton, Colo./Central) shared match-high honors with 16 digs.
Shi had a fine all-around match for the Beacons compiling a double-double on 15 kills and 16 digs, and she had a match-high five aces. Maslach had 10 kills on a .409 hitting percentage (10-1-22), and sophomore Sarah Doyle (Glendale, Calif.) contribute nine kills.
Rookie Carsen Komminsk (Westerville, Ohio) and Maslach had 21 and 15 assists, respectively. Senior Macayla Chianco (Clearwater, Fla.) dug up 11 balls.
Southern Maine travels to regionally ranked Wellesley College on Thursday (7:00 p.m.) for a non-conference match. UMass Boston heads to New York this Friday and Saturday to play in the Skidmore College Invitational. UMB opens the event playing Skidmore Friday evening (7:00 p.m.).
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