Volleyball to continue postseason play on Thursday; women's soccer to play Friday
Two of UMass Boston’s fall sports teams—volleyball and women’s soccer—are headed to the NCAA Tournament after winning Little East Conference Tournament titles on Saturday.
Volleyball to Face No. 18 Babson College on Friday
UMass Boston’s volleyball team will play No. 18 Babson College at Tufts University on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Regional Tournament. The start time has not yet been announced.
“We’re ready to keep this season going,” said Interim Head Coach Kate Carlson ’10.
UMass Boston punched their ticket by knocking off No. 3 Plymouth State University 3-1 in the Little East Conference Tournament final on Saturday. The team failed to make the conference final last year.
“We were hungry, and we really wanted to get this W to make up for last season,” said junior Emilia Czapiewska, the MVP of the Little East Conference Tournament.
The winner of the UMass Boston-Babson match will face the winner of the Johnson & Wales University-Maine Maritime Academy match this Saturday. The championship match for the regional is slated for Sunday.
Women’s Soccer to Face No. 18 Stevens on Saturday
Fresh off their second Little East Conference Tournament title—their first since 2012—UMass Boston’s women’s soccer team will face No. 18 Stevens Institute of Technology on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Middlebury College in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Beacons shut out the four-time defending Little East Conference Tournament champions, Western Connecticut State University, 2-0 in the LEC final. With the win, freshman goalie Maria Spylios of Leominster set the record for most shutouts in a season (11) and the most wins in a single season (18).
“When I see that ball in the air, I try to go for it and I know my teammates have my back,” Spylios said.
Added Head Coach Amy Zombeck, “If somebody got beat, there was somebody right there behind, so we weren’t giving them easy opportunities.”
The winner of this Saturday’s match will face the winner of the match between Middlebury College and the University of New England on Sunday at 1 p.m.