SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. – Day one of action at the 2013 Seven Sisters Championships, hosted by Mount Holyoke College at the Mildred S. Howard Gymnasium, has concluded and through the opening five games there has been a lot of excitement. Wellesley College and Smith College are both 2-0, while the host Lyons are 1-1. Bryn Mawr College and Vassar College are both 0-2 after the first day of action.
Match 1: Smith 3, Mount Holyoke 0 – Aided by a double-digit kill effort from two players, the Smith Pioneers defeated the host Lyons by a 3-0 margin to open Seven Sisters Championship play. Senior outside hitter Rosa Drummond (Rye, N.H./Portsmouth) laid down a game-best 14 kills, including the 1,000th of her career, to lead the effort as the Pioneers posted set scores of 25-14, 25-22, 25-14. Senior middle blocker Paige Sarlandt (Cloverdale, Calif./Cloverdale) added 13 kills in the win for Smith (11-5), while sophomore outside hitter Mei-Li Smith (Cypress, Calif./Cypress) had a match-high 19 assists. For Mount Holyoke (8-8), sophomore outside hitter Emma Sweeting (Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y./Hastings) had a team-high six kills. She and libero Kaleen Iwema (Wadsworth, Ill./Warren Township) also added 11 digs apiece.
Match 2: Smith 3, Vassar 0 – The Pioneers (12-5) continued their impressive start to open Seven Sisters action, posting a 3-0 (25-11, 25-9, 25-13) victory over the defending tournament champion Brewers of Vassar College. It was Smith's first win over Vassar in eight years. Drummond once again led the effort with a match-high 11 kills, while Sarlandt added nine kills. First year libero Julie Voorhes (Ramona, Calif./Ramona) chipped in with 27 digs. For Vassar (13-10), senior Jessie Ditmore (Santa Barbara, Calif./Laguna Beach) had five kills, while first year defensive specialist Sierra Tobin (Santa Cruz, Calif./Santa Cruz) had a team-best 13 digs.
Match 3: Wellesley 3, Bryn Mawr 1 – Three players reached double figures in kills to lead the Wellesley Blue to a 3-1 (25-12, 24-26, 25-8, 25-19) victory over the Bryn Mawr Owls in the third match of the day at Mildred Howard Gymnasium. Leading the offensive effort was junior outside hitter Sydney Carfagno (Los Angeles, Calif./Campbell Hall), who recorded a match-high 12 kills while also adding 13 digs. Junior middle hitter Caitlin Laughlin (St. Louis Park, Minn./St. Louis Park Senior) and senior outside hitter Kellyn O'Brady (Garden City, Mich./Garden City) each had 11 kills, while defensive specialist Traci Hamanaka (Burbank, Calif./John Burroughs) chipped in with a match-best 20 digs. For Bryn Mawr, junior outside hitter Samantha Abbott (Alberta, Canada/Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School) had nine kills, while sophomore middle blocker Rachel Ofili (Eagle Rock, Calif./Pasadena) added eight kills and four blocks.
Match 4: Mount Holyoke 3, Bryn Mawr 2 – The Lyons rebounded from an opening day loss to defeat Bryn Mawr by a gritty 3-2 (17-25, 25-15, 23-25, 17-25, 12-15) score in one of the final matches of the afternoon. Paced by a 22 kill performance from Sweeting, who also had four aces, five digs and two blocks, Mount Holyoke (9-8) also saw senior outside hitter Martina Kneifel (Oro Valley, Ariz./Canyon del Oro) post 11 kills with 14 digs. Iwema added 16 digs, while first year setter Natalie Lyon (Oakton, Va./Flint Hill School) added 22 assists. For Bryn Mawr (10-9), Abbott recorded 13 kills, while Ofili also added 13 kills. Sophomore defensive specialist Zoe Holman (Walterboro, S.C./Pinewood Prep) added a game-high 39 assists for the Owls.
Match 5: Wellesley 3, Vassar 0 – The Blue continued to dominate in their second match of the day, taking a 3-0 (25-18, 25-13, 25-18) win against Vassar. Carfagno once again led the offensive effort for Wellesley (20-2) as she posed eight kills and a match-best 11 digs. Senior setter Hilary Ayers (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho/Lake City) added 10 assists, while classmate and middle hitter Megan Mills (Brockton, Mass./Brockton) posted six kills in the winning effort. For Vassar (13-11), junior hitter Taylor Mosley (Dallas, Texas/Parish Episcopal School) had a squad-best eight kills and eight digs. Ditmore added seven kills as well for the Brewers, which also saw first year hitter Gabby Miller (Scottsdale, Ariz./Horizon) record a match-high 15 assists.
Action at the 2013 Seven Sisters Tournament continues on Sunday at 9am as Mount Holyoke takes on Vassar and Bryn Mawr faces off against Smith at the Mildred S. Howard Gymnasium.
