WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – Senior Anna Barry (Andover) led the Eastern Connecticut State University women's volleyball team to a season-high .295 attack percentage as the Warriors swept the University of Massachusetts Boston in the Little East Conference opener Friday evening at Francis E. Geissler Gymnasium.
 
In a battle of the top two teams in the conference pre-season poll, favorite Eastern (6-1) withstood set point in the opening set and went on to 27-25, 25-17, 25-11 victory over UMass Boston (3-6). The win is the third straight for Eastern over UMass Boston after being swept by the Beacons in seven straight matches between 2008 and 2013.
 

There were 15 ties and nine lead changes in the first set, with Eastern prevailing behind the serving of first-year player Cassie Parmelee (East Berlin) and Barry's kills. With UMass Boston serving set point, Barry tied the match at 25-all with a kill, and with Parmelee serving, UMB was guilty of a ball-handling error, and Barry ended it with her fourth kill and senior Meg Verizzi's  (Lebanon) 14^th assist.
 
In the match, Barry had 13 kills and a .500 attack percentage,  junior Nayeli Cruz Martinez (Toa Baja, P.R) eight kills and a .667 attack percentage and first-year UMass Boston transfer Bella Johnson (Marlborough) five kills and a .444 attack percentage. Verizzi collected 30 assists on the evening, Martinez seven service aces to give her 15 on the season (six behind Parmelee), and senior Alaetra Long (Lincoln, NE) added 14 digs.
 
UMass Boston, which has been swept in all of its losses this year, got 13 kills from junior Aleks Qose, eight kills and a .333 attack percentage from senior Marcelle Tiscareno, and four kills and a .333 attack percentage from junior Taryn Broughal (Branford). Graduate setter Carsen Komminsk had 24 assists and four service aces and first-year libero Alyssa Ruan 11 digs.
 
In a first set where neither team led by more than three points, Qose had six kills and a .556 attack percentage, Komminsk 14 assists and Ruan five digs.
 
After easing to a comfortable eight-point win in the second set, the Warriors raced to a 6-1 lead in the third set and pulled away for their 14-point victory. In that final set, UMB attacked at just -.100, while Barry had four kills, Long eight digs and Verizzi ten assists. Cruz Martinez served seven straight points in the third set -- including two straight aces – to fuel a run of eight straight points that made it 20-7 and forced UMB's second timeout.
 
Eastern visits Mitchell College Wednesday at 7 p.m. in a non-conference match.