Volleyball Clashes with UMass Dartmouth on Senior Night Thursday

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LAST TIME OUT
Suffolk took Colby Sawyer the distance, but could not hang on for the victory in the long run as the Chargers rallied for a five-set thriller Tuesday night. The setback came by set scores 25-27, 25-21, 21-25, 25-9 and 16-15.

MORE READING: Volleyball Slips in Five at Colby Sawyer

RAMS RUNDOWN
Suffolk has been on a downwards slop as of late, dropping its last five matches to dip to 12-13 on the season. 

The Rams' offense looks to provide a winning spark to Thursday's tilt with Hannah Fabiano's 2.69 kps leading the way. Talia Lombardo (1.81 kps) and Kayla Barbera (1.66 kps) will also be called upon to contribute, while Liz Kerek (6.32 aps) and Rachel Fancy (3.70 aps) taken on the setting responsibilities for Suffolk. 

Defensively, Dakhensey Marcellus will pace the pack with 3.30 dps, while Fabiano and Lombardo add 2.52 dps and 2.30 dps to the effort, respectively.

CORSAIRS CATCHUP
UMass Dartmouth will take a step out of Little East action as the Corsairs look to snap a three-match skid Thursday night. The three consecutive setbacks, all of which came in straight sets, put the Corsairs at 10-16 on the season. 

Amanda LaCroix and Nicole Silverman produce over 3.00 kps for UMass with 3.54 kps and 3.02 kps, respectively. The pair is set up by the tandem of Riley Thomas (7.34 aps) and Jordan Rittberger (7.07 aps). 

Jillian Sykora's 4.06 dps leads the defensive unit with Silverman (2.96 dps) and LaCroix (2.96) adding to the effort.

INSIDE THE SERIES

• Since 2003, Suffolk is 3-10 all-time versus UMass Dartmouth.
• The Rams picked up back-to-back wins to start the series, then lost seven straight before winning its third match in 2013.
• The Corsairs are on a three-match series win streak versus Suffolk.
• Suffolk is the most successful when taking Dartmouth to four sets, holding a 2-2 record in such matches.
• In sweeps, the Rams have one win compared to UMass' seven.
• Dartmouth holds the lone five-set decision.
• Suffolk looks for its first win over Dartmouth since 2013 and in the Bonny Ducharme era.

EYES ON THE MATCH

TRIPLE-double
Talia Lombardo turned in a stellar performance for Suffolk volleyball in a five-set thriller versus Curry Saturday afternoon en route to the first known triple double in Rams' history. 

MORE READING: Lombardo Records First-Ever Known Suffolk Volleyball Triple Double

SETTING IT UP
After recording her 1,000th assist Oct. 7 versus Lasell, senior Liz Kerek has slid into second place all-time in Suffolk history with 1,190 career handouts, displacing Katie Hemlin's 1,134 mark set in 2005. Kerek is currently 631 assists shy of the all-time record (1,821), which Julia Sullivan holds. 

SWEEPS

• 12 of Suffolk's 24 matches have been determinded in straight sets.
• The Rams are 4-8 this season when playing in three-set matches.

WHEN IT COMES TO FIVE

• Suffolk has played six five-set thrillers this year with the Rams owning a 3-3 record in such outings.

UP NEXT
caps off the regular season as it heads to West Hartford, Connecticut State for a tri-match at the University of Connecticut. The Rams will take on Simmons to open action at 1 p.m., before closing the day versus the Blue Jays at 3 p.m.