BOSTON, Mass. (9/14/24) – In their first appearance in nearly two weeks, the Nichols College women's volleyball team shook some rust off in a 3-0 (14-25, 15-25, 12-25) non-conference loss at UMass-Boston Saturday afternoon inside the Clark Athletic Center.

The Bison now stand at 1-2 overall on the season, while the Beacons improve to 6-3 overall.

Senior Luna Colozzo led all Bison players with five kills in the effort, while sophomore Hailey Wright chalked up a team-best eight assists. Junior Mairead Frost was also in the mix for the Bison with 10 digs, marking her second double-figure dig performance this season.

After falling behind early in the opening frame, the Bison battled back to claim an 8-6 lead thanks to five straight Beacon attack errors. However, the hosts countered with their own 5-0 run to retake an 11-8 advantage, sparking a stretch of even play midway through the set. UMass-Boston went on to win the set late, scoring eight of the final 10 points.

The Bison started the second set on a 3-0 run, once again capitalizing on home team errors. The Beacons battled back as the set progressed to take a 10-8 advantage, before stretching their lead to as many as 20-13 late in the frame. The result was an eventual 25-15 win for the Beacons, and a 2-0 match lead.

Through the first two sets, 17 of Nichols 29 points were the result of Beacon errors.  

UMass-Boston had its most ferocious set of the afternoon to close out the match, as it won 14 of the first 17 points to take a commanding 14-3 lead. The Bison saw their best scoring stretch trailing 23-8, when a Ruby St. Onge kill and Melina Bezati service ace highlighted a 4-0 run, cutting the Beacon's lead down to 23-12. Despite this, the hosts went on to score the next two points, completing the sweep with a 25-12 third set win.

Women's volleyball will next head to UMass-Dartmouth for more non-conference play this Monday, September 16^th. Opening serve against the Corsairs is scheduled for 6:00 PM at the Tripp Athletic Center.