Wellesley Volleyball Drops 3-2 Decision at Clark

Worcester, Mass. – Clark University rallied for a 3-2 win over Wellesley College Volleyball in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action on Tuesday night at the Kneller Athletic Center.

Shannon Glass-Smythe and Marina Ramos combined for 29 kills and 31 digs to help the Cougars improve to 8-12 and 2-5 in the NEWMAC. Wellesley drops to 11-7 (3-4 NEWMAC), falling to Clark for the first time in the last twelve matches between the two teams.

Ramos notched her ninth double-double of the season with a match-high 17 kills and 17 digs. Glass-Smythe was just as impressive, recording 12 kills and 14 digs.

Brooke Fieldman finished with 16 kills and 13 digs, while Caitlin Laughlin added 14 kills on .480 hitting. Maddie Koh dished out 37 assists and had 16 digs and Sydney Carfagno chipped in with nine kills and 12 digs.

After Clark secured a 25-20 victory in the first set, Wellesley responded with a dominating 25-12 second set victory. The Blue led by as many as 13 points while hitting a match-high .389 on their way to tying the match.

The third set was more of the same for the Blue as they collected 11 kills, including five from Fieldman and four from Laughlin, to seize control of the match with a 25-17 win. Wellesley had their best defensive set of the match, corralling 19 digs and posting a pair of blocks to take a 2-1 lead.

In the fourth set, Clark found the same form they had in the opening game, as Ramos and Glass-Smythe combined 12 kills to power the Cougars to a 25-23 win. With the scored knotted at 23-all near the end of the set, Ramos put down back-to-back kills to give Clark the win and tie the match at 2-2.

The fifth set was all Clark, as the Cougars raced out to a 5-1 lead with Glass-Smythe registering a pair of service aces. Consecutive kills from Rowe gave Clark a 10-3 advantage. Wellesley got back to within five, at 12-7, but Clark would eventually close out a 15-9 victory in the fifth and final set.

Clark is off until next Tuesday when they visit Wheaton College for a crucial NEWMAC match. Wellesley returns to action on Saturday as they host a tri-match featuring Fairleigh Dickinson and Southern Maine as part of Homecoming Weekend.