SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. – Behind double-digit kill efforts from senior outside hitter Shannon Glass-Smythe and first year right side Ana Mercado, the Clark University volleyball team posted a 3-0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-18) win over Mount Holyoke College in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action on Thursday.
With the victory, the Cougars move to 11-0 overall and remain perfect in conference play at 3-0. The Lyons slip to 5-5 and 0-3 in the NEWMAC.
Glass-Smythe (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia Prep) recorded a match-high 15 kills in the win, adding seven digs and a block assist. Mercado (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico/Academia Maria Reina) added 10 kills with a service ace and three digs. First year setter Rachel Webb (Celina, Texas/Celina) posted a game-best 38 assists with two digs, a block solo and a block assist, while junior libero Mia Cattaneo (Santa Barbara, Calif./Dos Pueblos) recorded a match-best 12 digs with a service ace.
For the Lyons, first year middle hitter Joy Maran (Santa Fe, N.M./Santa Fe Prep) posted a team-best nine kills with two digs and a block assist. Classmate and fellow middle hitter Jamesa Allen (Orlando, Fla./Lake Nona) added five kills, four digs, a match-high three service aces, two block solo and a block assist, while first year middle hitter Sarah Caggiano (Leonardtown, Md./Leonardtown) had four kills and a block solo. She and sophomore outside hitter Katrina Meserve (Falmouth, Maine/Falmouth) also had a match-high three block assists each.
Mount Holyoke opened the first set with a tight advantage, taking a 7-5 lead behind kills from Allen and Meserve. The Cougars bounced back, taking the lead on an MHC attacking error, before going up 15-12 behind kills from Glass-Smythe and an ace from Cattaneo. The set remained close until kill from Ramos saw the visitors go up 23-17 and seal the set win on an ace and a setting error.
The second set saw the Cougars pounce, opening up a 7-1 advantage behind multiple errors by the Lyons and three kills from Mercado. A kill from Allen helped marginalize the gap (13-5), but Clark found itself with a 20-14 lead after another Mercado kill. Mount Holyoke got kills from Maran and Allen down the stretch, but the Cougars close out the set on a kill from Glass-Smythe and attacking errors by the home team.
Mount Holyoke made a strong run in the third set, jumping out to a 4-1 early lead. The Lyons continued to hold the advantage as an outstanding block by Allen made it a 12-8 score. A block by Sweeting a few points later kept the score in MHC's favor, but an 11-0 run turned the tides for Clark as it held a 23-15 lead. The Lyons pulled back in as kills from Caggiano and Maran, along with a service ace from Sweeting made it 23-18, but a kill and ace from junior right side Tori Whitney (Sunderland, Mass./Frontier Regional) closed out the set and match.
Both teams return to action on Saturday as Mount Holyoke heads to Wheaton in a battle of the Lyons at 1pm, while Clark travels to Babson to take on the Beavers (12pm) and Amherst (2pm).
