Springfield, Mass. – October 1, 2013 – Lindsay Runge (Closter, N.J.) had eight of her team’s 16 service aces as the Springfield College women’s volleyball team handled Wheaton College in three sets Tuesday evening in New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action in Blake Arena.

Set scores this evening were 25-10, 25-16, 25-20. The Pride improves to to 13-1, 5-1 in league play, while the Lyons drop to 9-8, 2-2.

Tessa Smolinski (Hebron, Conn.) recorded a match-high 11 kills at a .625 clip to power the Springfield offense, while both Kelsey McGayhey (Shelter Island, N.Y.) and Lauren Holt (Granby, Conn.) each produced seven kills. Whitney Miller (Cuba, N.Y.) appeared in the first two sets and totaled 17 assists, and classmate Molly Giannattasio (East Lyme, Conn.) notched 10 assists in the final frame. For the evening, the Pride hit .400 as a team.

For the visitors, Elise Waelder (San Diego, Calif.) had a strong match with five kills on a .556 hitting percentage, while teammate Arieanne Creigthon (Brookline, N.H.) added five kills of her own. Deirde Wilson (Aptos, Calif.)) dished out 13 helpers and added four digs for the Lyons squad which hit .102 on the night.

Springfield had a tremendous opening set, and jumped out to an early 7-2 lead behind three kills from Francesca Mack (Amston, Conn.). Bolstered behind seven service aces, including four by Runge, the Pride was never threatened, and thanks to a a .625 hitting percentage, breezed to a 25-10 win.

The second set featured nine ties, with the last coming on a Springfield service error at 13-all. A big swing by Holt on the ensuing point provided a spark for the Pride, which scored four-unanswered points and forced Wheaton into a timeout at 17-13 following a Smolinski tip kill around the block. Out of the break, the Lyons got within three thanks to another Springfield service error, but the hosts closed out the set on an 8-2 push to take a two-set advantage.

The Pride used another fast start to seize control of the third, taking advantage three aces, including two by Runge, to open a 9-3 lead. The Lyons battled back to even things at 13, only to have a 5-0 burst by the Pride make the score 18-13. Back-to-back miscues down the stretch would see Springfield’s lead dwindle to 23-20, but kills by McGayhey and Holt wrapped up the three-game sweep.

Springfield will have the week off until it hits the court again next Tuesday, October 8, at Clark. First serve is 7:00 pm.