PAXTON, Mass. - It proved to be a clean sweep for the Mount Holyoke College volleyball team, which bested Anna Maria College, 3-0 in non-conference road action on Tuesday. With the win, the Lyons even their record to 6-6, while the AMCats fall to 3-7 on the season.
Junior Jamesa Allen paced the effort for the Lyons, posting a match-high 10 kills, two service aces, two block solos and a block assist. Sophomore Sasha Simine, the defending NEWMAC Defensive Athlete of the Week, boasted nine kills and just one error for a .421 kill percentage, also notching three block assists and a block solo. First year Brayden Walden notched a match-best 24 assists, while juniors Joy Maran and Cameron Graham added match-highs in service aces (6) and digs (13), respectively.
For the AMCats, Rebecca Foti recorded seven kills with seven digs and a block assist. Sarah Lathrop added six assists and nine digs, while Victoria Falco and Carolina Garcia each recorded eight digs on the evening.
The Lyons jumped out to an early lead, battling back in the opening set after facing a 7-2 deficit. An 8-0 run for MHC, powered by a pair of kills from Simine, helped the visitors grab a 13-8 advantage - which they would not relinquish. Another 5-0 run late in the frame allowed the Lyons to grab the 25-13 win in the opening set.
Second set saw a close battle until the 9-6 mark as back-to-back kills from Walden and Maran helped open a two-point spread (10-6). The AMCats kept it close, but a six-point run to close out the frame, including three straight attacking errors by the home team, helped MHC to the 25-14 win.
In the final stanza, the two teams continued on a close pace, but a 5-0 run, including kills from junior captain Sarah Caggiano, Maran and junior Isabell Linde helped the visitors open a 10-4 advantage. The Lyons capitalized on multiple errors down the stretch, a kill from Allen and an ace from Graham to close out the match.
Mount Holyoke returns to action on Thursday when it hosts Framingham State at 7pm in non-conference action. Anna Maria continues its four-match home stand on Thursday, hosting Clark at 7pm.
