WALTHAM, Mass. – Sophomore outside hitter Brooke Peterson (Del Mar, Calif.) hit .400 with 11 kills and senior Lea Freeman (Methuen) had a team-best 12 kills as UMass-Lowell spoiled the home-opener for the Bentley University Falcons, taking the Northeast-10 Conference women's volleyball match by a tally of 3-1 Wednesday night. Scores were 25-23, 25-20, 23-25 and 25-15.

For Bentley, which was also opening its conference slate, freshmen Kelsey Buckner (San Marino, Calif./San Marino HS) and Alex Tator (Los Angeles, Calif./Marlborough School) each recorded their first career double-doubles. Buckner had 12 kills and 14 digs, and Tator recorded 31 assists and 13 digs. All were career-best totals for the two, who are each just four matches deep into their collegiate career.

After three closely-played sets, UMass-Lowell (1-2, 1-0 NE-10) got off to a fast start in the fourth and was never threatened. The River Hawks scored the first five points, stretched the lead to 17-5 and went on to the victory. Bentley, in the finale, was guilty of ten hitting errors, four receiving errors and three serving miscues.

Bentley held a 20-17 lead in the opener, but Lowell countered with four straight points (the last three coming on hitting errors) and never trailed again. A Peterson kill ended the set and gave the visitors a 1-0 lead in the match.

Peterson had five kills in a second set that saw the River Hawks record the final four points after the Falcons drew within one at 21-20.

Bentley started fast in the third, vaulting to a 9-3 advantage. UMass-Lowell battled back to tie the set twice, at 22-22 and 23-23, before Buckner put down her fifth and sixth kills of the set to keep the Falcons alive in the match.

Freshman Savannah Dominguez (Miami, Fla./Palmer-Trinity HS) added 10 kills for Bentley, and Buckner's line also included two blocks and two aces. Libero Lauren Colasanti (Northville, Mich./Northville HS), yet another freshman for the Falcons, led the team in digs with 20.

For UMass-Lowell, freshman Anisa Smith (Moraga, Calif.) followed Freeman and Peterson with 10 kills, and junior setter Kristina Wiltjer (Temecula, Calif.) had 39 assists and four of her team's dozen aces.

Bentley (1-3, 0-1 NE-10) travels to Philadelphia on Saturday for a triangular match at the University of the Sciences with Wilmington, Del.