SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Springfield College women's volleyball team topped visiting Mount Holyoke in straight sets on Tuesday evening in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action. The Pride won by the scores of 25-14, 25-22, 25-15 for its 10th-straight victory.
Springfield improved to 17-3, 7-1 in conference play, while the loss dropped Mount Holyoke to 3-12, 0-8.
Lauren Holt (Granby, Conn.) was dominant with 11 kills, coming at a .526 clip. She also added a team-best three blocks. As a team, Springfield recorded a season-best 15 aces, with five coming off the arm of Anagabrielle Sanchez (Caguas, Puerto Rico). Sanchez and Jennifer Hurwitz (Longmeadow, Mass.) each turned in a match-best 11 digs. Daniela Detore (Lake Grove, N.Y.) handed out a career-best 30 assists in the win.
For the Lyons, Jamesa Allen (Orlando, Fla.) also recorded a match-best 11 kills with four digs and a block solo. Joy Maran added seven kills with seven digs, while Natalie Lyon notched 21 assists with eight digs. Katrina Meserve added a match-high five block assists with Sasha Simine posting three block assists.
Springfield took a 12-4 lead to start the match after Hurwitz ripped a kill in transition and grew its lead to 19-7 following consecutive aces from Hurwitz. Springfield limited the Lyons to a .000 hitting percentage in the set, and Holt hammered the back corner for her third kill of the night to give Pride the 25-14 win.
The hosts committed five attack errors just 14 points into the second set as it found itself trailing, 8-6 following a kill from Allen. The visitors extended their lead to 14-8 behind three more kills from Allen, only to have the Pride rattle off six-straight points behind the tough serving from Sanchez to force the Lyons into a timeout knotted at 14-all.
Springfield continued to seize control, pushing the lead to 22-19 on a kill from Jamie Schneck (Livingston, N.J.), only to have Mount Holyoke score three of the next four points to force the Pride into a timeout. Springfield would later seal the 25-22 win with kills from Hurwitz and Hayley Kmetz (Ardsley, N.Y.).
After the Pride fell behind 3-0 to begin the third following a kill from Simine and several errors, Springfield rattled off eight-straight points, a burst bolstered by three aces from Sanchez. Kmetz hammered a ball down the line for 17-11 to force visitors into a timeout, and the Pride never let Mount Holyoke closer than four as it took the 25-15 win.
Springfield will travel out of region this weekend to compete in the Stevens Invitational in Hoboken, N.J. Mount Holyoke returns to action on Saturday in the LEC/NEWMAC Challenge in Keene, N.H.
Game release courtesy of Springfield Sports Communications.
