Sept. 17, 2011

Box Score

After dropping the opening set, UMass Lowell volleyball reeled off three straight wins to defeat Southern New Hampshire on Saturday afternoon in Manchester, NH.

The River Hawks improved to 5-3 on the season and 2-1 in Northeast-10 action as they look ahead to Tuesday's showdown with Franklin Pierce in Costello Gym (7 p.m.). The Penmen slip to 2-4 overall, 1-1 in conference play and travel to St. Michael's on Tuesday (7:00 p.m.).

The River Hawks erased a 1-7 start in the opening set, taking a 10-9 advantaged midway through. Despite the comeback, Southern New Hampshire seized control as it closed out the set, 19-25. The Penmen generated offense through the service game, scoring three aces, and blocking a pair of shots.

UMass Lowell came out firing in the second set, 8-1, as Lea Freeman (Methuen, Mass.) scored a trio of kills to get the team on track. The River Hawk defense then kept Southern New Hampshire at bay, forcing 11 attack errors and blocking a shot en route to a 25-13 victory.

The momentum carried over into the third set as UMass Lowell raced to a 5-1 start that forced the Penmen to take a timeout. Southern New Hampshire continued to shoot itself in the foot, recording 12 attack errors as the River Hawks cruised to a 25-8 win.

Holding a 2-1 lead, UMass Lowell gutted out a 31-29 win to clinch the match. The River Hawks followed their opponents' lead and committed 13 attack errors to put themselves behind. In spite of the struggles, UMass Lowell staged a significant comeback that forced extra points, scoring eight straight when down 17-24. Trailing 28-29 in extras, the River Hawks sandwiched a Penmen error with kills by Brooke Peterson (Del Mar, Calif.) and Anisa Smith (Moraga, Calif.) to secure the win.

Southern New Hampshire's offense struggled on the day, generating 39 attack errors in the match. UMass Lowell was not perfect, but limited itself to 23 errors in the victory.

For the match, Freeman scored a season-high 18 kills and five total blocks. Aiding in the offense, Peterson scored six kills and 17 digs.

Orchestrating the attack, reigning NE-10 Setter of the Week Kristina Wiltjer (Temecula, Calif.) dished out 29 assists and 13 digs. The match marked her sixth double-double in eight matches.