Springfield, Mass. – September 7, 2013 – Led by Most Outstanding Player Whitney Miller (Cuba, N.Y.), the Springfield College women’s volleyball team eased past Amherst College and Eastern Connecticut on Saturday en route to capturing the 2013 Springfield College Invitational.

The Pride now stand at 4-0 on the year and is hitting an impressive .362 as a team. Miller was joined by teammate Kelsey McGayhey (Shelter Island, N.Y.) on the All-Tournament Team.

In the championship match, Springfield went against Amherst for the second time in the tournament, and had similar results with the Lord Jeffs with a 25-12, 25-15, 25-17 win. Miller orchestrated a beautifully balanced attack with 37 assists, guiding the Pride to hitting .348. McGayhey was dominant in notching 14 kills hitting .650, and Tessa Smolinski (Hebron, Conn.) added 13 kills and a match-best 18 digs. Lauren Holt (Granby, Conn.) added 11 kills at a .500 clip to go along with two blocks, and Meghan Kinee (Williamstown, N.J.) was solid on defense with 12 digs.

The Lord Jeffs were paced by Nicole Gould’s nine kills and Katie Warshaw’s 13 digs. Nicole Carter registered a double-double with 10 digs and 13 assists, and Samantha Newby added three blocks.

Springfield 3, ECSU 0
In the semifinals on Saturday afternoon, the Pride made quick work of the Eastern Connecticut Warriors, winning by the set scores of 25-14, 25-9, 25-13.

Springfield’s offense continued to impress as the Pride managed their errors, making just four miscues en route to a .394 hitting percentage. Holt dominated in the middle, tallying 12 kills at a .733 clip, while Smolinski had 14 digs and 10 kills while hitting .529. McGayhey produced eight kills on 15 errorless swings and Miller handed our 31 assists.

For ECSU, Adrianna Mihalek led the way with nine kills, and Erynn Miller totaled 21 digs. Kay Mullen added six kills, and Jess Patrizi posted 10 assists and seven digs.

This upcoming weekend, the Pride will compete in the MIT Invitational, and will travel to Brandeis to play the host Judges and Bowdoin on Friday evening. On Saturday, Springfield will take on Colby and Connecticut College on MIT’s campus.

Springfield College Invitational

Day 2
Amherst 3, Simmons 0 (25-18, 25-11, 25-9)
Rivier 3, ECSU 2 (25-15, 15-25, 20-25, 25-16, 15-6)
Springfield 3, ECSU 0 (25-14, 25-9, 25-13)
Amherst 3, Rivier 0 (25-22, 25-13, 25-20)
Westfield State 3, Simmons 0 (25-19, 25-17, 25-13)
Springfield 3, Amherst 0 (25-12, 25-15, 25-17)
All-Tournament Team
Erynn Miller, ECSU
Nicole Carter, Amherst
Emily O’Reilly, Rivier
Lindsay Rescott, Westfield State
Morgan Kieon, Simmons
Kelsey McGayhey, Springfield
Whitney Miller, Springfield