Cambridge, Mass. – September 23, 2011 – The Springfield College women’s volleyball team opened up the MIT Invitational on Friday evening with a pair of wins over Regis College and Williams College. Springfield cruised past Regis, 25-11, 25-14, 25-10, before besting Williams, 20-25, 25-16, 25-13, 25-23.

Springfield, which is ranked 25th in the nation this week, stands at 13-0 and has matched the best start in program history since 2003.

Against Regis, Lauren Torvi continued her dominant play with 13 kills at a .722 clip. Both Kim Giaquinto and Tessa Smolinski added eight kills, while Itza Nieves posted eight digs. Molly Giannattasio dished out 19 assists in the three-set victory.

In the Pride’s come-from-behind win over Williams, Smolinski powered Springfield with 18 kills and seven digs, while Giaquinto and Torvi each registered 10 kills. Whitney Miller was credited with 20 assists and Nieves racked up 18 digs.

The Pride will return to the courts again on Saturday afternoon at 12:00 pm when it battles Tufts in a rematch of last year’s NCAA Regional Quarterfinals.

(Photo by Cindi Williamson of Fat Dog Fotos)