WORCESTER, Mass. - The Mount Holyoke College volleyball team shouldered a tough 3-0 (25-11, 25-22, 25-16) loss at Clark University on Tuesday evening in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action. With the victory, the Cougars are now 12-10 with a 2-6 mark, while the Lyons slip to 7-12 and 0-8 in the NEWMAC.

After an opening set loss, the Lyons battled back in the second frame, opening up a 7-2 advantage following a 6-0 run that culminated in a number of Clark errors and a kill from senior captain Sarah Caggiano.

The Lyons continued to hold the advantage, pushing the score to 17-11 after senior captain Jamesa Allen laid down a kill off an assist from sophomore Brayden Walden. The Cougars battled back, using a 6-0 run to regain the lead for a 19-18 edge.

Mount Holyoke rebounded to tie behind a kill from Allen and later closed the gap once more to 22-21 following a strike from rookie Sarah Bishop, but the home team capitalized on three of the final four points to earn the 25-22 set win and take the 2-0 overall lead.

Clark came out strong in the final set, using a three-point swing to take an 11-7 lead. The Cougars later used another run to open the margin to 18-11. Despite kills from senior Isabell Linde and junior Sasha Simine, the Lyons were unable to close the gap further, falling to Clark.

For the Lyons, Caggiano finished with a team-high eight kills to go along with five digs and three block assists. Simine added six kills with a block solo, while Allen had three kills, two block solos and four block assists. Senior Cameron Graham recorded a match-best 19 kills, while Walden added 22 assists and two service aces.

Mount Holyoke returns to the court on Friday when it travels to Elms College for a 7pm non-conference tilt against the Blazers.