Chicopee, Mass. – February 12, 2014 – The Springfield College men’s volleyball team received eight kills each from Luis Vega (Corozal, Puerto Rico) and Angel Perez (Naranjito, Puerto Rico) and the Pride hit .471 as a team to help spark a 3-0 (25-14, 25-14, 25-15) sweep of Elms College in Wednesday eveningÂ's non-conference menÂ's volleyball match at Picknelly Arena.

  With the loss Elms moves to 2-8 overall, while Springfield improves to 9-4 on the season.

  Bryson Rainey (Brookline, Mass. led all hitters with nine kills and tied for the match-high in digs with four. Junior middle hitter Angel Castro (Carolina, Puerto Rico) followed with five kills, while senior setter Kevin Welsh (Wilbraham, Mass.) and senior opposite hitter Kordel Latimer (Lynn, Mass.) each recorded two kills. Welsh distributed 18 assists in the losing effort.

  Springfield was efficient in all phases of the contest hitting .471 behind Vega and Perez who tallied eight kills each. Jimmy OÂ'Leary (Reading Pa.) notched seven kills and Ryan Lilley (Stony Brook, N.Y.) added five off the bench for the Pride.

  Keaton Pieper (Dallas, Texas) handed out 25 helpers and Luis Garcia Rubio (Bayamon, Puerto Rico) dished out eight assists. Vega tied Rainey for the match-high in digs with four, while Perez, Ryan Malone (Chicopee, Mass.) and Eric Johnson (Tustin, Calif.) dug three balls each. In addition to his three digs and three kills, Malone served up three of SpringfieldÂ's 10 aces in the winning effort.

  After falling behind, 2-0 in the match, Elms secured its first lead of the match in the third set when a Castro kill and two consecutive attacking errors by the Pride allowed the Blazers to take a 3-2 lead. A Blazers service error and a pair of kills by Sean Zuvich (San Pedro, Calif.) and a block assist by Zuvich and Sean Peterson (Norfolk, Va.) put Springfield back on the front foot and it didnÂ't look back.

On Friday and Saturday, the Pride will hold the Springfield College Invitational, hosting the top three teams in the country as it welcomes No. 1 Rivier, No. 3 New Paltz, Johnson and Wales, and Bard.