NORTHAMPTON, Mass. - Aided by a double-digit kill effort from two players, the Smith College volleyball team defeated Mount Holyoke College, 3-0 in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action on Tuesday evening. The Pioneers, who honored their five seniors in a pre-game ceremony, improve to 20-7 overall and 5-4 in conference play, while the Lyons fall to 10-17 and 0-9 in the NEWMAC.

The Pioneers hit .337 as a team, including a whopping .531 in the first set where they exploded out to a 14-4 lead.   Mei-Li Smith had four kills during that span, while Kristi Hammond and Sarlandt added two apiece.  Smith led by as many as 17 at 24-7, and Drummond finished off the set with a kill from Ashworth.

The second saw Smith take an early 6-2 lead, but the Lyons pulled back to within 8-6 on a Smith attack error.  Smith began to pull away,as Hammond, Drummond, and Sarlandt all recorded kills that upped Smith's lead to 15-10, and Sarlandt sandwiched two kills around another from Mei-Li Smith to end the second set.

Set three began like the first two, with Smith holding advantages of 7-2, 11-5, and 16-6.  The Lyons got within eight at 19-11 on a Smith attack error, but Smith cranked up the heat, scoring six of the final 10 points for the win.

Sophomore Emma Sweeting led the visitors with seven kills, while first year Athena Donta had 16 digs.  

Ashworth had 27 assists and 12 digs, Brown 16 digs, and Drummond 12 kills and three solo blocks.  Hannah Schiff chipped in 10 digs as well for Smith.

Smith could grab the No. 6 seed in the upcoming NEWMAC tournament with a win on Saturday against Wheaton.  Mount Holyoke closes out the year at WPI on Saturday at 1pm.

Story courtesy of Smith College Sports Information.