Wellesley Volleyball Drops Match to Springfield, 3-1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Wellesley (8-10,2-6 NEWMAC) | 21 | 18 | 25 | 19 | 1 |
|
Springfield (20-1,8-0 NEWMAC) | 25 | 25 | 18 | 25 | 3 |
WELLESLEY, Mass. – Junior Riley Donahue (South Windsor, Conn.) had 17 kills and nine digs to lead Springfield to a 3-1 (25-21, 25-18, 18-25, 25-19) win over Wellesley College volleyball in NEWMAC play on Tuesday at Dorothy Towne Fieldhouse.
In addition to Donahue, first year Tori Colosimo (Fairport, N.Y.) had 40 assists for the Pride (20-1 Overall, 8-0 NEWMAC), while junior Natalie Billet (Commack, N.Y.) and first year Olivia Nealy (Athens, Ga.) each had double-digit digs.
Sophomore libero Kaija Kunze-Hoeg (Eagan, Minn.) had a match-high 27 digs for the Blue (8-10 Overall, 2-6 NEWMAC) and first year Noelle Winn (San Francisco, Calif.) had a double-double with 11 assists and 10 digs. Classmate Madeline Zornek (Orlando, Fla.) added 15 assists and nine digs for Wellesley.
After trading points early in the first set, the Blue took a four point lead at 14-10. Despite trailing 19-14, Springfield's offense turned up the pressure. The Pride won 11 of the final 13 points of the set, including two service aces from junior Morgan Stafford (Corbett, Ore.).
Springfield raced out to an 8-4 margin in the second set before Wellesley dug its feet in and tied the set at 12-12. The team's remained even until 18-18, when Springfield exploded for seven straight points, highlighted by three service aces from Billet.
Wellesley never trailed in the third set and led by as much as eight at 23-15. The Blue produced 14 kills on a .278 hitting percentage in a 25-18 comeback set.
Springfield narrowly led its Wellesley counterparts in the middle stages of the fourth set. At 16-15, a four-point run gave the Pride momentum, and the Blue never got back within three points as Springfield graduate student Ally Townsend (Hummelstown, Pa.) fired a service ace to close out a 25-19 set.
The Blue head to Keene State on Saturday, October 21 for a tri-match with the Owls and Southern Maine that begins at 2:00 PM. The Pride take part in the New England Challenge in Williamstown, Mass., beginning on Friday, October 20 with a 7:00 PM match against Middlebury.