Springfield, Mass. — September 5, 2008 –The Springfield College women’s volleyball team kicked off the 2008 season off with a pair of victories in the opening night of the Springfield College Invitational.

In its opener, the Pride toppled SUNY-Cobleskill in three games, 25-16, 25-10, 25-18. Springfield then followed that up with a three-game sweep of Emerson by the scores of 25-20, 25-22, 25-16.

In the win over SUNY-Cobleskill,senior Aylene Ilkson (Baldwin, N.Y.) and newcomer Heather Lively (Royalston, Mass.) each led the way with seven kills. On the defensive side of the ball, Jessica Baldwin (Fairport, N.Y.) chipped in with nine digs.

In its second match of the evening, Sarah Lang-Rodean (Mansfield, Conn.) paced the Pride with 11 kills, while Ilkson added 11 digs of her own. Lively registered eight kills in the victory and Kelsea Hellyar (Fairhaven, Mass.) recorded six service aces.

In the only other match of the night, Rhode Island College defeated SUNY-Cobleskill in three games, 25-17, 25-23, 25-11.