Clark Sweeps By Blue Volleyball, 3-0

WELLESLEY, Mass. – Clark University swept to a 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-22) win over Wellesley College volleyball in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action on Tuesday evening at Gracia Mangano Martore '73 Court.

The Cougars improve to 15-4 overall and 5-2 in NEWMAC contests, having won back-to-back contests on the road. Wellesley is now 8-10 on the season and 4-3 in the NEWMAC.

Clark's outside hitters made all the difference in the match, as the duo of Marina Ramos (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) and Shannon Glass-Smythe combined for 31 kills and 23 digs. Ramos hammered down a match-high 16 kills on 39 attempts, with Glass-Smythe just one off of her pace with 15 kills. Each player recorded a double-double, as Ramos collected 13 digs and Glass-Smythe recorded 10 digs. Senior libero Mia Cattaneo (Santa Barbara, Calif.) led all players with a match-high 20 digs, while first year setter Rachel Webb (Celina, Texas) paced the Cougar attack with 42 assists.

First year Yasmine Reece (New Rochelle, N.Y.) mustered the only consistent offense for the Blue, banging 14 kills in 30 attempts. Alina Mota (Glendora, Calif.) and Katie Yan (Cohoes, N.Y.) shared the defensive highs, with 12 digs each. Michelle Li (Scarsdale, N.Y.) distributed 21 assists in the loss.

Clark quickly erased an early Wellesley run in the first set, as the Cougars tied the score at 4-4 before growing their lead to 10-7. Wellesley countered, coming back to tie the match again at 12-12, following a kill from junior Brooke Fieldman (Greenwood Village, Colo.). The teams exchanged points until the Cougars opened up a two-point advantage, 16-14, on a kill from Ana Mercado (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico). Clark continued to lead as Wellesley slowly chipped away at the advantage, again tying the score, this time at 21-21 following an ace from Yan. With the first set locked up at 21-21, the Cougars closed out the game with a 4-0 run, capped by a kill from Glass-Smythe, to take a 25-21 victory. 

Wellesley looked destined to rebound in the second set, running out to a 7-1 lead to open the frame. However, the Cougars started to chip away before eventually taking command of the set. With the score at 10-5 Wellesley, Clark embarked on a 17-4 run, taking a 22-14 advantage. The teams then exchanged points before Glass-Smythe and Ramos closed out the 25-18 victory with back-to-back kills. 

The Cougars continued to click in the third and final set, hitting a match-best .282 to close out the 3-0 victory with a 25-22 set win. Clark never trailed in the final set, taking an early 6-1 advantage that grew to an 11-6 lead. The Blue continued to hang around, eventually closing the gap to 11-10 on a kill from Ashley Peng (San Diego, Calif.). Wellesley would get no closer than two for the remainder of the match, as Glass-Smythe and junior Courtney Pharr (Seattle, Wash.) put down the final three Clark kills of the game to cap the win. 

Both squads return to action on Thursday, October 15, at 7:00 PM, when Wellesley hosts Bridgewater State and Clark travels to Framingham State.