Oct. 21, 2009

Box Score

UMass Lowell volleyball jumped out to a lightning quick start and never looked back as it cruised to a three-set sweep of the Saint Anselm Hawks on Wednesday night. The River Hawks were led by junior Sarah Coscia (Pittsfield, MA) who hit a match-high nine kills while registering an eye-popping eight total blocks.

The match scores were 25-11, 25-11 and 25-12.

The win boosts UMass Lowell's record to 15-8 on the season and 8-3 in Northeast-10 play. Saint Anselm slides to 5-14 overall and 1-10 in conference.

Coscia wasted no time in the match, tallying five of her eight blocks in the first set. The three-time NE-10 Player of the Week also nabbed three kills as the River Hawks broke away from an early see-saw battle to win the first set 25-11.

The second set saw the emergence of Elsa LeGrand (Highlands Ranch, CO) who paved the way with four kills on just seven attempts. UMass Lowell held a hitting percentage of .345 in the 25-11 victory.

Coscia re-asserted herself in the final set, picking up four kills to pace the offense. Freshman setters Kristina Wiltjer (San Diego, CA) and Larissa Nui (Oceanside, CA) responded well during their time on the floor. Wiltjer picked up three assists and four digs and Niu had three assists and two aces as the River Hawks sealed the match with a 25-12 win in the third set.

LeGrand finished with eight kills, four digs and two total blocks. Setter Nichole Rondeau (Dracut, MA) tallied 28 assists and two service aces. Allie Eide (Gresham, OR) and Vicky Wong (Tewksbury, MA) tied for the team-high with seven digs each. Lea Freeman (Methuen, MA) scored six kills and five total blocks in the match.

UMass Lowell will play once more at home before departing for a three-game road trip. The River Hawks host NYIT on Friday night at 6 p.m. in the Costello Gym.