Blue Volleyball Wins 12th-Straight; Wellesley Tops Smith, 3-2

NORTHAMPTON, Mass.-- The Wellesley College volleyball team posted its 12th-straight victory, topping Smith College in a tight 3-2 NEWMAC match-up on Tuesday evening. The Blue used set scores of 25-22, 19-25, 25-16, 25-27, 15-10 to move to 24-2 overall, 8-0 in NEWMAC play. The loss dips Smith to 16-7, with a 4-4 NEWMAC record.

After the teams traded wins in the first two sets, Wellesley raced out to a 9-4 lead in the third on a kill by Megan Mills. Following a Smith timeout, the Pioneers went on a 9-4 run fueled by four Wellesley attack errors and a kill from Drummond that tied the set at 13. Wellesley closed out the set by scoring 12 of the final 15 points, as Mills and Kellyn O'Brady recorded kills for the final score.

Smith roared back with a fourth set win. Neither team led by more than three throughout, with Smith taking a 18-15 lead on a kill by Kristi Hammond. Wellesley got within 19-18 at Sydney Carfagno, and took a 22-21 lead on a Smith attacking error. After Smith took the lead back at 23-22, another Carfagno kill tied the score at 23. The teams continued to trade points, sending the set into extra points before Smith sealed away the win thanks to a Wellesley service error and Mei-Li Smith's kill.

In the decisive fifth set, Wellesley jumped out to a 10-3 lead behind kills from Carfagno and O'Brady. Bridget Goodwin's kill and a service ace by Bethany Ashworth helped get Smith within 10-6, only to see the trio of Carfagno, O'Brady, and Caitlin Laughlin record kills that put the Blue up 13-6.  

Smith got kills from Paige Sarlandt and Mei-Li Smith to get within 13-8, but a Smith serving error put the set at match point, and Carfagno's final kill of the night ended the game.

Wellesley was led by Carfagno's 23 kills and 24 digs which marked her 10th double-double of the season. O'Brady also recorded a double-double with 10 kills and 15 digs, her fifth of the season. Laughlin was nearly flawless on offense, racking up 17 kills with only two errors, hitting .429. Mills rounded out the Blue attack with a 10-kill performance.

Elsewhere for the Blue, Maddie Koh recorded a career-high 46 assists, while Traci Hamanaka hit a season high with 28 digs. Wrapping up the box score, Courtney Lang and Mills tallied two blocks each.

Smith was led by 19 kills from Rosa Drummond, while Paige Sarlandt chipped in 12 kills, a pair of service aces, and three solo blocks. Bethany Ashworth and Mei-Li Smith paced the offense with 19 assists, with Smith having 10 kills and 13 digs.  

Both teams will take part in the Volleyball Hall of Fame tournament. Smith faces Trinity on Friday night, and Westfield State and Brandeis on Saturday. Wellesley will play Amherst on Friday, followed by meetings with Bowdoin and Williams on Saturday.