Northampton, Mass. – October 22, 2010 – The Springfield College women’s volleyball team lost for just the third time this season as it dropped a five-set match to Bowdoin in the opening round of the Volleyball Hall of Fame Invitational on Friday evening.

Springfield, the third-seed in the tournament, falls to 24-3 on the season as it had its 12-match winning streak snapped. The Pride will now play on Saturday morning at 10:00 am against conference-rival and seventh-seed, Wellesley College.

Tessa Smolinski was outstanding as the freshman posted 21 kills on 35 swings for the match. Senior All-American Heather Lively added 14 kills, while Sarah Lang-Rodean chipped in with 11 kills out of the middle. Fellow middle Lauren Torvi was credited with 10 kills on the night.

Springfield entered the match with the fourth-best offense in the entire country with its .289 hitting percentage this season. However, the Pride hit just .170 tonight, its lowest hitting percentage since it lost to national-power Emory on September 10, when it hit at a .114 clip.