WORCESTER, Mass. – An Eastern Connecticut State University women's volleyball team was coming off a berth in the Little East Conference finals for the first time in seven years in 2014, dropped a disappointing 25-23, 25-21, 25-15 decision to Clark University in the 2015 opener for both squads Tuesday night at the Kneller Athletic Center.

Since winning seven straight decisions against Clark (losing only four sets in the process), Eastern has lost its last four to the Cougars (the three previous in five sets). The Warriors were coming off a 17-17 season, Clark 10-15.

Sophomore Marina Ramos slammed down a match-high 11 kills to go along with seven digs as the Cougars won their season-opening match for the first time since 2010.

Two-time first-team All-LEC junior outside hitter Adrianna Mihalek (Woodbury) led all Warriors with six kills, while junior outside Hannah Bryant (Avon) chipped in with five. First-year junior setter Fabiana Della-Monica (Newark, DE) finished with 11 assists.

Eastern led for most of the first set until a personal four point run by Clark freshman Ana Mercado turned a two-point deficit into a two-point lead at 20-18. After getting a kill to make the score 18-17, she served up three straight aces.

Eastern fought back and went ahead 23-20 but Clark registered the final five points, including kills from junior Courtney Pharr, Ramos and senior Shannon Glass-Smythe to take the set.

Eastern never led in the second set as the hosts won by four points behind eight assists in the from freshman Rachel Webb.

The Warriors allowed the first six points of the third set, Clark eventually pushing its lead to 11 (22-11).

As a team, Eastern attached at just .044 in the first and third sets, commiting 11 errors with only 13 kills. Mihalek's team-leading six-attack total came on a team-high 22 attempts which produced a .000 attack percentage.

With five kills and only one error, Bryant attached at .400 in the match. Senior libero Allie Luppi (Tewksbury, MA) was the only player on either team with double-figure digs. She totaled 13. Freshman Leah Sopneski (Deep River) followed Della-Monica with seven assists and she topped the Warriors with two service aces. Eastern also commited 11 reception errors, more than twice as many as Clark.

In addition to Ramos, Clark got nine kills and seven digs from Glass-Smythe and seven kills from Pharr.

Webb racked up a match-high 31 assists to go along with four service aces and five digs.

Eastern competes in the U.S. Coast Guard Invitational Friday and Saturday, opening against Simmons College at 6 p.m.