Springfield, Mass. – September 4, 2009 – The Springfield College women’s volleyball team opened up the 2009 campaign with a pair of impressive sweeps against Lasell and Westfield State in the opening day of the Springfield College Invitational on Friday evening. Powered by Heather Lively and Kim Giaquinto, the Pride downed Lasell, 25-16, 25-9, 25-19, before cruising past Westfield 25-12, 25-12, 25-21.
Against Lasell, Lively paced the way for the home Pride with 12 kills and 11 digs en route to a double double, while Springfield got a solid effort out of the middle from Sarah Lang-Rodean as she notched 11 kills on a .500 hitting percentage. Kim Giaquinto put together an impressive stat line with eight kills, five digs, and three blocks, while Lauren Torvi added eight kills. On the defensive side of the ball, Meaghan Hart posted a match-high 16 digs as the Pride’s libero. In her first collegiate match, Cassie Seymour recorded seven digs, six service aces, and four kills. Several players saw time as Springfield’s setter, while Kelsea Hellyar playing the bulk of the match and registering 33 assists.
For the visiting Lasers, only two players recorded kills in the match as Elizabeth Nichols finished with seven and Danielle Drapeau added four. Struggling to find their offensive rhythm throughout, Lasell hit -.049 for the match as it finished with just 11 kills on 81 swings. Defensively, Amanda Major totaled a team-best 11 digs.
In the opening game, a Drapeau kill made it 14-12 in favor of the hosts, only to have Springfield rattle off a 7-1 run capped off by a Giaquinto ace. The Pride continued to have control of the opening game and a Hellyar kill gave SC a 25-16 win.
The story of the second frame proved to by Seymour’s relentless serving as the first-year ripped five aces to fuel an 11-0 Springfield run. Holding the Lasers to just one kill in the stanza and a paltry -.412 hitting percentage, Springfield cruised to a 25-9 win.
The final game of the match was nip and tuck until the Pride pulled away late. After a Springfield service error knotted the game at 16, SC closed out the match on a 9-3 run to complete the sweep. Lively posted three kills down the stretch as the AVCA All-American and reigning NEWMAC Player of the Year picked up where she left off last season, powering the Pride to victory.
In the nightcap, Lively and Giaquinto were tremendous as Springfield won its second match of the day. Lively tallied a match-high 14 kills to go along with eight digs and a pair of blocks while Giaquinto was all over the court, tallying 11 kills, eight digs, and six blocks. The Pride served the visiting Owls tough all match and finished with 14 aces in just three games. Seymour led the way with five aces, while Hellyar added four, and Hart totaled three. Hart also finished with a match-best 11 digs for Springfield and Torvi connected for six kills at a .455 clip. Hellyar ran the offense to the tune of 39 assists and added seven digs.
The Owls were limited to just a .023 hitting percentage in the match and finished with 16 kills for the entire match. Alyssa Stankowski and Alex Shaw each had three kills in the loss, while Katie Kurty and Kerin DeGirolamo each finished with seven digs for the visitors.
Springfield used big runs throughout the match to overpower the visitors. SC used a 15-4 to close out the first game, a 9-2 run to end the second frame, and despite trailing in the beginning of the third, used a 7-0 run to regain control of the third stanza.
Springfield Invitational
Springfield 3, Lasell 0 – 25-16, 25-9, 25-19
Westfield State 3, Roger Williams 2 – 21-25, 25-22, 23-25, 25-23, 15-13
Springfield 3, Westfield State 0 – 25-12, 25-12, 25-21
Brandeis 3, Roger Williams 1 – 25-18,14-25, 25-13, 26-24
