Worcester, Mass. --- Kerrin Beovich (Seaford, NY) posted a career-high 16 kills and a .552 hitting percentage to lead host WPI to a 3-0 win over visiting Mount Holyoke in NEWMAC women's volleyball action on Tuesday night at the Harrington Auditorium. WPI took the match with set scores of 25-18, 25-17, 25-23.
The Engineers of WPI are now 7-4 on the season with a 1-2 record in the conference standings while the Lyons of Mount Holyoke fall to 1-4 with an 0-3 mark against NEWMAC opponents.
Alex Rangel (Weston, FL) set the table for the Crimson and Gray, with 37 assists, two service aces and six digs. Jenny Wallace (Holden, MA) came up strong on offense and defense with seven kills and 15 digs. Lauren D' Angelo (Wallingford, CT) finished with 10 digs. Alyssa Fidanza (Ellington, CT) contributed a match-high four service aces to go along with six digs.
Emma Sweeting (Hastings-on-Hudson, NY) led the Lyons with 12 kills, while Martina Kneifel (Oro Valley, AZ) tallied 11 kills and eight digs. Stephany Yang (Glen Allen, VA) had 23 assists, while Kaleen Iwema (Wadsworth, IL) and Gaby Harrigan (San Juan, PR) had 17 and 11 digs respectively.
During the first set, Mount Holyoke rallied to tie the score at 12-12. But WPI rattled off six straight points, five of them coming of the serve of Rangel, and the Engineers would not trail again. The Lyons opened the second set on a roll to take an 8-3 lead, and at one point lead 12-7. But WPI stormed back on a dominating 16-3 run including nine straight off the serve of Fidanza to take control of the set and the match.
In the third set, WPI quickly asserted itself to take a 12-6 advantage. But Mount Holyoke found and answer, chipping away at the lead and tying the score at 16 all. The final minutes of the third set were the most competitive of the match, but WPI eked out the win with Wallace recording the kill for the final point.
Up next for the Crimson and Gray, WPI will play Framingham State in Westfield on Saturday, September 22 at 1pm. Mount Holyoke hosts a tri-match on Saturday, where they will face Elms at 11am and Connecticut College at 3pm.
