Sept. 7, 2011

Box Score

UMass Lowell volleyball opened conference play in style on Wednesday night, defeating Bentley, 3-1, in Waltham, MA.

In addition to the strong start to Northeast-10 play, the River Hawks earned their first win of 2011 as they improve to 1-2 overall. The Falcons slip to 1-3 on the season and 0-1 in conference play.

The match scorers were 25-23, 25-20, 23-25 and 25-15.

In the night's opening set, UMass Lowell pulled out a 25-23 victory, storming back from a late three point deficit. The River Hawks trailed 17-20, but took eight of the final 11 points, highlighted by pair of kills from Brooke Peterson (Del Mar, Calif.) to end it.

In the second set the River Hawks took an early advantage and carried a slight lead throughout before finally pulling away with four consecutive points to secure the 25-20 win. As a team, UMass Lowell used 20 kills with a .400 attack percentage, keyed by a six kill and eight dig effort from Hannah Rey (San Diego, Calif.).

The Falcons responded strongly in the third set, racing to a 9-3 lead. That lead, however, slowly evaporated as the River Hawks chipped away. Despite closing the gap completely at 22-22, UMass Lowell couldn't overtake Bentley as it fell 23-25, narrowing the score at 2-1.

Unwilling to let the match victory slip from their grasp, the River Hawks charged to a 19-6 lead in the fourth set, eventually securing the 25-15 win. Senior Lea Freeman (Methuen, Mass.) submitted three kills and two blocks, while UMass Lowell forced Bentley to commit 10 attack errors in the decisive final frame.

For the match, three River Hawks reached double-digit kills as Freeman, Peterson and Anisa Smith (Moraga, Calif.) recorded 12, 11 and 10, respectively. It marked the first time this season multiple players reached double figures.

Quarterbacking the offense, Kristina Wiltjer (Temecula, Calif.) had a season-high 39 assists and four service aces, while also adding 10 digs and two blocks. Wiltjer has started her junior campaign with three consecutive double-doubles.

Not to be overshadowed, Rey was crucial in the passing game, totaling a match-best 24 digs--a new career-high for the rookie. Rey also added eight kills and two blocks to her resume.

With its first win in the books, UMass Lowell will shift gears towards its annual River Hawk Classic, kicking off on Friday at 7 p.m. against Post.