Springfield, Mass. – October 10, 2008 – In the opening day of the Tom Hay Invitational, the Springfield College women’s volleyball team cruised past Westfield State and Roger Williams in its two matches this evening.

In its first match of the evening, the Pride made light work of the Westfield State Owls, sweeping the visitors in three games, 25-19, 25-14, 25-13. Springfield then picked up its second win of the night with a 25-23, 25-13, 25-12 win over Roger Williams.

Against Westfield State, the Pride held the Owls to a -.100 hitting percentage as Bethany Stosz (Amherst, Mass.) controlled the net all match with nine total blocks. Kelsea Hellyar (Fairhaven, Mass.) directed Springfield’s offense with 33 assists on the night as Heather Lively (Royalston, Mass.) recorded a match-high 12 kills.

Aylene Ilkson (Baldwin, N.Y.) was the only other member of the squad with double-digit kills as she registered 10 to go along with eight digs. Heidi Yohe (Deer Park, Wash.) notched a team-best 10 digs, while Hellyar and Jess Baldwin (Fairport, N.Y.) each picked up three aces in the victory.

In the second match, Lively had another impressive outing for the Pride as she racked up 18 kills in just three games to lead Springfield. Stosz notched 10 kills, hitting .526 and added two blocks, while Ilkson was all over the court, registering seven kills and a match-high 21 digs. Yohe added 12 digs and five aces of her own, and Hellyar chipped in with 11 digs to go along with her 36 assists.

Roger Williams came out of the gate quick in the first game, but struggled the rest of the way, hitting .000 for the match.

The Pride will square off against cross-town rival Western New England on Saturday morning at 9:00 am.

Results from Day 1
Springfield 3, Westfield 0 — 25-19, 25-14, 25-13
Roger Williams 3, WNEC 1 — 25-18, 29-31, 25-20, 25-10
Springfield 3, Roger Williams 0 – 25-23, 25-13, 25-12
Plymouth State 3, Westfield State 0 – 25-22, 25-15, 25-20