Wellesley, Mass. – October 11, 2011 – The Springfield College women’s volleyball team lost for the first time in the 2011 season as it fell on the road at Wellesley in four sets on Tuesday evening. The Blue upset the Pride by the scores of 25-15, 25-22, 22-25, 25-20.

The Pride entered the match with a 21-match winning streak, which was tied for the longest in program history, having previously happened in 2003.

The win improved Wellesley to 15-6 overall with a 5-1 mark in NEWMAC play.

Wellesley’s Megan Mills had a fantastic day for the Blue, hitting .529 with 10 kills, while also picking up three blocks. Sydney Carfagno recorded a team-high 16 kills, while Caitlin Laughlin had seven kills and three blocks. Isabel Custodio paced the offense with 35 assists, while Traci Hamanaka had 22 digs.

Springfield was led by Lauren Torvi who hammered 16 kills while picking up three blocks. Tessa Smolinski paced the Pride with 12 kills, while Molly Giannattasio dished out 29 assists and added three blocks. Itza Nieves and Meaghan Hart totaled 17 and 14 digs to round out the box score for SC.

Wellesley opened a 7-1 advantage in set one, before the Pride trimmed the lead to 9-7. But Duritsch scored six straight at the service line to break the game open as Wellesley cruised to a 25-15 win.

Set two was a see-saw affair in the early going until Wellesley used two mini-runs to open a 17-14 lead. Springfield tightened the game with a pair of points, but after an exchange of sideouts Wellesley’s Carfagno finished the set with three service points to give the Blue a 2-0 lead.

Springfield regrouped for the third set and opened a 12-6 lead at the halfway point. Wellesley responded with four straight, but a six-point run from Springfield’s Whitney Miller gave the Pride an 18-11 advantage. The Blue rallied, cutting the lead to 22-20, but Springfield held on for the 25-22 win.

In the fourth and deciding set, Wellesley grabbed an early 8-5 lead. Springfield pulled to within one, at 12-11, but the Blue broke away for good with a four-point run from Hamanaka. The Pride surged in the closing points of the set, but a Springfield hitting error gave Wellesley the 25-20 win.

Springfield will now prep for the Golden Knights Volleyball Invitational hosted by Clarkson this upcoming Friday and Saturday.