SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. - Three different players recorded a game-best seven kills as Wellesley College defeated Mount Holyoke College, 3-0 (25-13, 25-16, 25-17) in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action on Saturday at Howard Gymnasium. With the win, the Blue remain undefeated on the season, moving to 7-0 overall and 2-0 in conference play. The Lyons slip to 5-3 and are now 0-2 in the NEWMAC.
The Blue jumped out to an early 10-2 advantage in the first set, but several attacking errors, combined with kills from junior Sasha Simine and senior captain Sarah Caggiano, helped pull the Lyons back to within four (10-6). Wellesley's Nicole Doerges laid down back-to-back kills soon after and a strike by Yasmine Reece pushed the visitors to a 15-8 margin. A kill late by Caggiano helped close the gap, but a 6-0 run, including three kills from Reece gave the Blue the set win.
Second set saw the Lyons earn a 6-3 advantage on a kill from senior captain Jamesa Allen, but Wellesley battled back quickly as three kills from Darina Postupaka and a ace from Meghan Shoop tied the score at 8-all. The two teams continued to battle, but the Blue broke a 10-all tie on a Lyons error and would not face a deficit for the remainder of the set despite a 4-0 run by MHC in the final points.
Another back-and-forth pace was set in the third stanza with Wellesley using a 3-0 run to go up 12-8. The visitors took advantage of several errors from the home team, along with a pair of kills from Lauren Gedney to earn the set win and match victory.
For Wellesley, Gedney, Doerges and Reece all posted seven kills. Gedney and Reece also added three block assists apiece. Michelle Li recorded 25 assists with 14 digs to lead all players in both categories, while Ashley Peng had a game-high five service aces.
Mount Holyoke saw Simine record a game-best seven kills while adding a block solo and a block assist. Caggiano and Allen each had six kills, while sophomore Brayden Walden posted 20 assists. Senior Cameron Graham added a team-best 13 digs.
The Lyons return to action on Tuesday in a 7pm NEWMAC contest at the Coast Guard Academy. Wellesley is also on the court on Tuesday, heading to Wheaton for a 7pm conference tilt.
