NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass — The Salve Regina University women's volleyball team battled from start to finish Tuesday night, pushing UMass Dartmouth to the limit before falling in a hard-fought five-set match, 3-2, at the Tripp Athletic Center.
The Seahawks showed plenty of fight throughout the match, answering back after dropping the opening two sets and forcing a decisive fifth frame. Salve took the third set, 25-23, before edging UMass Dartmouth again in the fourth, 25-23, to send the match to a winner-take-all fifth set. The Corsairs ultimately secured the final frame, 15-13.
Anouk Jansen (Queen Creek, Ariz.) led the Seahawks with a match-high 16 kills, while Lauren Shurling (Hudson, Mass.) and Frankie Spadorcia (Braintree, Mass.) added 13 kills apiece. Spadorcia was particularly efficient, putting away 13 kills on 20 attacks for a .500 hitting percentage. Shurling added four blocks and two service aces to her all-around performance.
At the net, Abby McRoy (Fall River, Mass.) delivered one of Salve's strongest defensive performances with a team-high six blocks, including five block assists, while Jenna DeFrancesco (Branford, Conn.) contributed three blocks. The Seahawks finished with 18 total blocks as a team in the individual defensive statistics.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: UMass Dartmouth 3, Salve Regina 2
Records: Salve Regina (1-7,0-0 NEWMAC), UMass Dartmouth (5-3,0-0 LEC)
NOTEWORTHY:
- The Seahawks finished with 62 kills, four more than UMass Dartmouth, while hitting .198 as a team.
- The Seahawks hit .355 in the third set, recording 16 kills against just five errors, and carried that momentum into a 25-23 fourth-set victory.
ON THE HORIZON:
On Thursday, September 16, at 6 p.m. the Seahawks will play Rhode Island College on the road.
