PRESQUE ISLE, ME

UMPI Volleyball has been neck-and-neck with Husson the last couple of years, finishing just one game behind the Eagles in the NAC standings last year, thanks to five-set victory that Husson had over UMPI in Presque Isle during their regular season finale. Yesterday, It was a very similar fate for the Owls who battled again to five sets with he Eagles before falling in the closest possible way.

3-2: Eagles

How it Happened:

The first set was an indicator of how things would turn out throughout the evening. Husson gained an early edge at nine five, but UMPI rallied to stay in it, tying it at nine and eventually taking leads at 14-11 and 16-12. But Husson wasn't rolling over early. They chipped away to make it 18 apiece. UMPI led again at 23-22, but the Eagles rallied to score the last three points of the set, making it a 25-23 victory, the closest possible margin for a regular length set.

In set two, UMPI jumped out to the early albeit slim lead, at 5-2. Husson quickly erased it to make it 6-5, before the Owls took back control. They took the biggest lead of the day for either side at 14-9 and ran with it all the way to a set two victory by a score of 25-17. The Owls evened the match at 1-1

Set three saw the most dominance that either side would display the whole match. Husson grabbed the early lead, and the pattern of who would lead first carried through to this set as well. The Eagles rode a five point run to lead 16-8, and put UMPI to bed early in this set, eventually prevailing 25-13 as they seized every bit of momentum.

In the fourth set, with their backs against the wall UMPI completely flipped the script. The Owls grabbed commanding early leads at 6-1, 8-2, and 10-3. The set wasn't over however, as Husson wished to prove that the Owls peaked early. They continued to chip away at the UMPI advantage and made it a nail-biter down the stretch, eventually coming within two points when it was 22-20. The Owls dug deep though, and put it away to force a decisive fifth set, winning 25-22.  

Tied at two sets apiece, the Eagles and Owls headed to a fifth set. They went five in the last conference match they played last year, with the Eagles winning in the closest possible way. This time, Husson grabbed a dream-start to the fifth set with five straight points to begin. All of a sudden they had UMPI on the ropes, but the Owls refused to go quietly. Trailing 7-1, they won five of the next six points to make it 8-6 as teams traded sides for the final time. Husson responded quickly with another run to make it 11-6, the same advantage as when it was 5-0, except they were now just four points from a big conference victory. The Owls had one last comeback bid in them, as they rallied to tie the game in an improbable way, making it 12-12 on a couple of clutch kills and aces. Just when it seemed UMPI's comeback was destined to happen, the Eagles spoiled the party. Winning three of the next four points, Husson sealed another dramatic, five-set victory over UMPI at 15-13, leaving the Owls stunned, as was everyone for what an exciting and tight match they had just witnessed.

Top Performers:

Everything was quite balanced for UMPI and there were many heroes throughout the match. Mig Gutierrez led with seven kills while Brianna Bolhuis had five and Evelyn Elijah had four. Brooke Gardner had four big aces, some of them coming in crunch time in that last set. Bolhuis, and Elijah each had a block, along with Jade Anspach joining them. Brooke Gardner facilitated the offense again with 18 assists, while Mie Gutierrez and Maubi Mateo anchored defensively with 21 and 18 digs each.

Next Up:

The Owls will now take on the dynastic Maine Maritime Academy Mariners in a North Atlantic Conference matchup down in Castine, this Tuesday night at 6pm. UMPI enters at 2-5 overall and 0-1 in conference play.