Springfield Tops Blue Volleyball 3-1 on Senior Day

WELLESLEY, Mass. – Senior Lauren Holt (Granby, Conn.) totaled 11 kills and 12 total blocks to lead Springfield College to a 3-1 (25-21, 17-25, 25-13, 25-13) victory over Wellesley College volleyball in the New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) regular season finale for both teams on Saturday at Dorothy Towne Fieldhouse.

Springfield improves to 26-4 overall, completing their conference campaign with a 9-1 record. Wellesley slides to 12-15 on the year and ends the NEWMAC season with a 5-5 record. 

Holt was one of three Springfield players to finish with double-digit kills, as junior Kayleigh Helgesen (Oceanside, Calif.) tied for match-high honors with 17 and sophomore Hayley Kmetz (Ardsley, N.Y.) added 13.  Springfield hit .282 as a team, with Holt, Helgesen and Kmetz all finishing above .300 while senior setter Marnae Mawdsley (Bolton, Conn.) racked up 39 assists. Sophomore Hannah Lozano (Stockton, Calif.) also chipped in from the service line with three aces. 

For the Blue, sophomore Yasmine Reece had a match-high 17 kills, recording a double-double with 11 digs. Reece also had a match-high four aces to go along with six total blocks. First year Meghan Shoop (Cypress, Calif.) tallied a double-double, finishing with 11 kills and 10 digs. Sophomore setter Michelle Li (Scarsdale, N.Y.)  led all Wellesley players with 12 digs, adding 31 assists in the setback. On defense, senior Maddie Koh (Seattle, Wash.) also tallied 11 digs in her final home match for the Blue. 

Springfield took an early lead in the opening set, jumping ahead 6-3 following a block from Holt. The Pride extended their advantage to 7-4 before Wellesley stormed back with a 7-0 run, capped by a kill from sophomore Samantha Ostenso  (Hopkins, Minn.), to go ahead 11-7. The Blue extended their lead to 14-9 before Springfield countered and eventually tied the match at 15-15. The Pride would move on to take the lead before closing out a 25-21 win on a kill from Helgesen.

Wellesley tied the match with a 25-17 victory in the second set. The Blue never trailed in the game, opening up a 6-0 lead to start the frame. Springfield closed the game to one at 8-7, and again at 12-11, but could not rally past the Blue. With the score at 12-11, the Blue rallied for the three-straight points, taking a 15-11 lead on a block from Reece and sophomore Ashley Peng (San Diego, Calif.). Wellesley eventually lead by a 22-14 margin before taking the set 25-17. 

Springfield would put the match away in the third and forth sets, combining for 23 kills and committing just one attack error in back-to-back 25-13 victories. The Pride hit .438 as a squad in the third game, closing out the win with a Holt block, before returning to close out the match by hitting .471 in the fourth set.

Both teams will play in next week's NEWMAC Conference Tournament, with first round match-ups set to take place on Tuesday, November 1, at campus sites. Tournament information will be posted on wellesleyblue.com as it become available.