First-year coach Kristy Tripp leads UMass Dartmouth to 25-10 overall record and fourth-place finish in LEC

(Dartmouth, MA) - New head coach Kristy Tripp's first season with the UMass Dartmouth volleyball team started slowly as the Corsairs were 3-4 after their first 7 matches.

Beginning with a 3-2 win over Endicott College on Sept. 21, UMass Dartmouth put together an amazing streak of 17 victories in the Corsairs' next 19 matches on the way to a 25-10 overall record. During the month-long stretch, which included a pair of 7-game winning streaks, the Corsairs captured their own UMass Dartmouth Invitational Tournament.

The Corsairs finished the 2000 season with a 5-2 record in the Little East Conference and a fourth seed in the LEC Tournament. UMass Dartmouth swept Rhode Island College in the LEC quarterfinal round before having its season ended with a loss to #1 seed Western Connecticut State University in the LEC semi-finals.

UMass Dartmouth's 25-10 season marked the most victories for a Corsair volleyball team since 1990 and the program's third best season in its 29 years of competition.

At season's end, UMass Dartmouth's senior captain and outside hitter Amy Wilson (Dartmouth, MA) was honored by the Little East Conference as a Second Team All-Star. Wilson, who earlier in the season had been named as an All-Tournament selection following the Rhode Island College Invitational and was an All-Tournament selection at the Bridgewater State College Invitational, had an outstanding season for the Corsairs. She was among the team leaders in most categories including receiving (1st, .689%), digs (1st, 2.6/game), kills (2nd, 2.48/game), hitting (2nd, .204%), and blocks (3rd, 20 total).

Two other members of the Corsair volleyball team were honored during the season following tournament performances. Junior middle hitter Carla Ferreira (Marion, MA) was named to the All-Tournament team after helping the Corsairs to a runner-up finish with a 3-1 record at the Rhode Island College Invitational. Ferreira was the Corsairs' leading hitter during the season, connecting on 335 kills in 849 attempts for a .238 percentage, tops on the team. Her 2.58 kills per game along with 84 solo blocks and 9 assists for 93 total, an average of .72 per game, also led the Corsairs.

Sophomore setter Doris Nasrallah (Fall River, MA) saved some of her best volleyball for the Corsairs' 4-match sweep of the UMass Dartmouth Invitational Tournament. Nasrallah was named to the All-Tournament team as the Corsairs knocked off Babson College, University of New England, UMass Boston and Babson College a second time to clinch the tournament title.

The Corsair also received several other strong performances during the 2000 season. Junior outside hitter Molly Dixon (Rochester, MA) was the Corsairs' top server, connecting on 376 out of 455 attempts for a .633% average with a team-high 81 aces. Her 783 hitting attempts were second best behind Wilson and her 244 kills were third best on the team.