Springfield, Mass. – September 6, 2013 – The Springfield College women’s volleyball team opened up the 2013 season with a pair of three-game sweeps over Simmons and Amherst in the Springfield College Invitational on Friday evening in Blake Arena.

Springfield 3, Simmons 0
Daniella Crismani (San Francisco, Calif.) started off the season on a strong note, posting a career-best 15 kills at an impressive .565 clip. In her collegiate debut, Lauren Holt (Granby, Conn.) had her way in the middle, notching eight kills on 10 errorless swings. Fellow middle Elise Brogan (Andover, Mass.) added seven kills while hitting .462, and Meghan Kinee (Williamstown, N.J.) anchored the defense with a match-best 15 digs.

As a team, the Pride racked up 47 kills in three sets, hitting .465. Whitney Miller (Cuba, N.Y.) had 34 assists in the win.

Simmons was limited to just a .058 hitting percentage, despite the standout play of Nicole Alberghini, who registered eight kills on 12 errorless attempts.

Springfield 3, Amherst 0
It was Kelsey McGayhey (Shelter Island, N.Y.) that produced a career-best performance in the three-game sweep of the Lord Jeffs, erupting for 14 kills at a .545 clip. Holt continued her steady play with 10 kills and three blocks, with Crismani tallied seven kills and 11 digs. Kinee was once again solid of defense, notching a match-high 21 digs.

For the Lord Jeffs, Maggie Danner recorded a team-best seven kills and 10 digs, while both Katie Warshaw and Kate Bres had 11 digs each.

Springfield once again came out firing on all cylinders, hitting .625 in the opening set and showed plenty of resilence in the third, using an 8-3 burst to rally for the win after falling behind 21-18.

Springfield College Invitational
Day 1
Springfield 3 , Simmons 0 (25-12, 25-15, 25-15)
Springfield 3, Amherst 0 (25-15, 25-12, 26-24)
ECSU 3, Westfield State 0 (25-13, 25-22, 25-22)
Rivier 3, Westfield State 1 (27-25, 25-15, 23-25, 26-24)