Springfield, Mass.- September 27, 2014- Junior Kelsey McGayhey (Shelter Island, N.Y.) posted 11 kills to help the Springfield College women's volleyball team to a 3-0 victory over Emerson College in Blake Arena on Saturday afternoon.

Winning with the set scores of 25-19, 25-27, 25-8, the Pride improved to 9-4 overall and 3-2 in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play.

Springfield ended the day with a .333 hitting percentage behind the strong play of McGayhey and sophomore middle blocker Lauren Holt (Granby, Conn.), who added nine kills as well as three blocks.

Junior Elise Brogan (Andover, Mass.) proved to be highly effective for Springfield with eight kills on a .583 hitting percentage.  Sophomore setter Marnae Mawdsley (Bolton, Conn.) ended the game with 41 assists and 11 digs, while freshman outside hitter Rebecca Higgins (Orchard Park, N.Y) added six kills and 10 digs for the Pride.

Holt led Springfield in the opening set with five kills and two blocks, while McGayhey finished with four of her own in the stanza to pace the Pride to a 25-19 victory in the first set. 

Following a kill from Francesca Mack (Amston, Conn.) to even the score at 17 apiece, the Pride went on a 5-0 run, capped off with a kill from McGayhey to give the Pride a 23-17 lead and grasp on the opening stanza. McGayhey picked up her fourth kill of the set to clinch the 25-19 victory, giving the Pride a 1-0 lead in the match.

McGayhey continued to dominate on the right side as she powered home two-consecutive kills midway through the second set to give the Pride a 14-11 lead. With the Pride leading 18-15, freshman Hannah Andres (West Barnstable, Mass) served up six-straight points on another 5-0 to push its lead to 23-15. Andres picked up her only kill to give the Pride 24 points, before closing out the second set on a service error from Emerson.

There was no stopping the Springfield offense in the third set, for sophomore Mawdsley controlled the tempo with 14 assists in the third set alone, while Mack and Brogan chipped in with four kills apiece.

The Pride jumped out to a 12-3 lead in the third set following a pair of back-to-back kills from Higgins and Brogan. From there, the Pride retained its momentum throughout the stanza, only allowing the Lions to tally five more points, before Springfield poured on a 5-0 run to make the score 24-6. Mack finished off the set and the match with her eight kill to seal the victory for the Pride.

The Pride will travel to Norton, Mass. on Tuesday to take on Wheaton College in a 7 p.m. NEWMAC contest.