The University of Maine at Farmington women’s volleyball team has won four straight matches to improve to 11-8. The last time the Beavers finished with a winning record or won more than 10 games was in 2006, when they went 17-9.

Third-year coach Kika Nigals (who also coached UMF from 1995-98) said this year’s success is a matter of the building process coming along and the Beavers becoming more familiar with their opponents. After seeing each team a couple of times, UMF knows whether to expect a faster or slower offense, for instance.

“I’m satisfied,” Nigals said. “Do I think we could have done better in some matches? Yes, we could do better. But we’re a young team. More than half our team is first-year students.”

UMF is 3-2 in the North Atlantic Conference and 8-1 overall in October. Senior captain Shannon Mitchell has been a big force. Mitchell is fourth in the conference in kills per set (2.76) and third in blocks per set (0.58).

“She’s definitely a leader on the floor,” Nigals said. “She’s always been a consistent, strong player.”

Also playing a big role are freshmen Marina Tello (who leads UMF in digs with 191) and Shannon Brown. Both bring a lot of experience in volleyball — Brown is from Calais and Tello is from San Antonio. Tello was recently named NAC Rookie of the Week for the third time this season.

UMF plays St. Joseph’s College tonight in Standish. St. Joe’s defeated the Beavers in three sets on Sept. 27, and the Monks are led by junior Sarah Hawkes.

“They have one key player that we need to focus on,” Nigals said. “If we can shut her down, we’ll be successful.”

The Beavers then end their season Saturday with conference matches against Green Mountain and Castleton. The NAC playoffs begin Oct. 29.

“I’m feeling confident we’ll be hosting on the 29th,” Nigals said.

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UMF has a nicely done video posted each Tuesday morning on its athletics website. The video recaps the previous week and shows highlights from games and practices. This week’s video can be found at http://athletics.umf.maine.edu.

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A few local teams are playing for playoff positioning in the North Atlantic Conference. In women’s soccer, UMF is trying to grab the No. 4 spot. The Beavers are tied for fifth with Lyndon State at 3-3-1, while Johnson St. is in fourth at 3-2-2.

Thomas has the eighth and final spot at 2-5-0, while Green Mountain is 1-6 and in ninth place. The Terriers own a victory over Green Mountain this season.

In men’s soccer, only two games separate the third through eighth spots. UMF (4-2-0) is in fourth, while Thomas (3-3-0) is in sixth and still has a shot at a home playoff game.

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The University of New England field hockey team has four players from central Maine schools on its roster. One of those is Winthrop native Bree Tupper, a midfielder and senior captain at UNE.

During her sophomore and junior seasons, Tupper scored a total of 26 goals. She has only four this season, but first-year coach Danielle Ryder said Tupper is still an important part of the team.

“Her strongest quality is the way she leads the rest of the team,” Ryder said. “Even in games where she’s not getting statistical points, she’s still a presence on the field.”

Matt DiFilippo — 861-9243

mdifilippo@centralmaine.com