Aug. 29, 2009
Box Score
Audio Recap: Opening Weekend - A Loss and a Win
The River Hawks rallied after losing the first set to Franklin Pierce, taking three of the next four en route to their first win of the 2009 season. Junior Sarah Coscia (Pittsfield, MA) led the way for UMass Lowell scoring 18 kills and a team-high 17 digs with an astounding .405 hitting percentage.
Game scores were 21-25, 25-12, 25-23, 23-25 and 15-11.
With the win, the River Hawks improve to 1-1 on the season, while the Ravens drop to 0-2, losing both of their contests in the UMass Lowell Tournament.
The River Hawks jumped out to an early 10-5 lead in the first set thanks to several well placed serves by senior Ashlee Scott (Tewksbury, MA). The lead would not last as Franklin Pierce then surged to a 21-25 victory, going up 1-0 in the match.
In the second set, UMass Lowell dug deep to obliterate the Ravens 25-12. Jumping out to a 12-7 lead, the River Hawks surged on assisted blocks by Elsa LeGrand (Highlands Ranch, CO) and Jillian Hadder (Yucaipa, CA), and then Coscia and Hadder. UMass Lowell put on a 13-5 run to finish off the second set and tie the match at 1-1.
Franklin Pierce fought hard in the third set, but fell again by the score 25-23. The set went back-and-forth with the score knotted up at 18-18 before the River Hawks earned an edge. The key play came as Lea Freeman (Methuen, MA) slammed home a block to put UMass Lowell up 23-20. The win gave the River Hawks a 2-1 advantage. The Ravens evened the match at 2-2 with a slim 23-25 win in the fourth set. Franklin Pierce overturned an early 14-9 UMass Lowell lead to force a fifth and final set.
The River Hawks came alive again in the final set, after getting and edge with a LeGrand kill to lead 8-6. UMass Lowell put the gas on and coasted to a 15-11 win.
LeGrand finished with a team-high 19 kills while adding eight digs. Hadder had a double-double with 11 kills and 17 digs. Senior setter Nichole Rondeau (Dracut, MA) was tremendous, notching 43 assists and 15 digs. Seniors Allie Eide (Gresham, OR) and Scott finished with 14 and 13 digs respectively, giving the River Hawks five players with double-digit digs.
UMass Lowell returns to action on Friday as they battle Merrimack in the Bridgeport Tournament at 1 p.m.
