UMFK Beats UMPI On Senior Night
October 4, 2018 • Fort Kent, Maine

Fort Kent, Maine—The University of Maine at Fort Kent Women’s Volleyball team defeated its heated Aroostook County rival, the University of Maine at Presque Isle on Wednesday evening. The Bengals swept the visiting Owls in straight sets in the first match, and in four sets in the second match. In the first match (25-9, 25-8, 25-11) the Bengals got off to a fast start and did not look back. The Bengals might have had a little bit of extra pep in their step as they were celebrating Senior Night. This was the last pair of home matches that Seniors Vanessa Lopez, Justine McCorkle, Payton Spragling and Haley West will play in a UMFK uniform. Lead by those Seniors, the Bengals pounced on the Owls with an incredible combination of speed and skill. The quick back line of the Bengals was superb in its efforts to keep their opponents strikes from reaching the floor.

In the second match, the game was what any good rivalry is all about: heated back and forth action. The Bengals cruised to victory in the first two sets winning 25-11 and 25-8, but UMPI would not roll over in the third set, taking it 26-24. In that third set, the lead continued to switch in favor of both teams and was tied at 11 until UMFK was able to gain momentum scoring on five consecutive points. However, the Owls showed an incredible amount of relentlessness and squeaked out victory in a tight, down to the wire contest. Vanessa Lopez was dynamic in her offensive attack, compiling nine kills in the second match alone. She continuously found the holes in the Owl defense with her finesse shots right over the outstretched arms of the UMPI blockers. The Bengals finished off the Owls in the fourth set, 25-12.

The Bengals are currently ranked #1 in the USCAA and have yet to lose a set in their last 10 matches. The Bengals will travel to Maine Maritime Academy in Castine, Maine to take on the Mariners Saturday the 6^th of October.