Springfield, Mass. – October 11, 2008 Behind an outstanding performance by Invitational Most Valuable Player Heather Lively, the Springfield College women’s volleyball team captured the 2008 Tom Hay Invitational on Saturday afternoon with wins over Western New England College and Plymouth State University in three games each.

The Pride, which went over the 20-win mark for the 17th-straight season, downed WNEC 25-17, 25-12, 25-15 before sweeping Plymouth State, 25-18, 26-24, 25-21.

Lively was unstoppable against WNEC as the sophomore outside hitter hammered out 15 kills on 24 attempts for a blistering .625 hitting percentage. Bethany Stosz added nine kills, hitting .467, to go along with five blocks in the Springfield victory.

Aylene Ilkson registered a match-high 15 digs, while Heidi Yohe added nine digs and three aces as the Pride’s libero.

For the third-straight match, the Pride’s defense was too much as it held WNEC to an .081 hitting percentage in the match. Rachel Cervone led the Golden Bears with six kills and eight digs.

As a team, Springfield had just eight hitting errors in the match, including a combined three over the final two games. Kelsea Hellyar handed out 29 assists in the three-game sweep.

In its final match of the weekend, Springfield battled Plymouth State en route to the three game victory, winning 25-18, 26-24, 25-21.

Lively once again was dominant as she registered a match-high 17 kills, while Sarah Lang-Rodean added 10 kills, hitting .417. Ilkson, an All-Tournament Team selection, was sensational as she notched 22 digs and eight kills. Hellyar dished out 37 assists, while freshman Meaghan Hart provided a nice defensive spark with 12 digs. Yohe also chipped in with 14 digs and two aces against the Panthers.

All-Tournament Team
Kirsten Bosworth – Roger Williams
Kristina Dolan – Roger Williams
Eliza Badeau – Plymouth State
Katharina Boew – WNEC
Stephanie Bartkus – Westfield State
Aylene Ilkson – Springfield
MVP – Heather Lively – Springfield