Springfield, Mass. - October 10, 2015 - The Springfield College women's volleyball team won the 2015 Tom Hay Invitational on Saturday after it picked up up a pair of three-set wins over Westfield State and Keene State in Blake Arena. 

Springfield, which was one of two New England teams receiving votes in this week's AVCA Division III National Coaches Poll, has won 12-straight matches and now stands at 21-2.  This marks the 23rd-straight season that Springfield has reached 20 wins.

The Pride will return to New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play on Tuesday when it makes the short trip to Mount Holyoke for a 7 pm meeting.

Springfield 3, Westfield State 0 (25-13, 25-9, 25-11)

The Pride put together one of the best offensive showings in program history, totaling the third-highest total ever after recording a .582 hitting percentage in the win.   Head coach Moira Long was able to have all 18 members of her team play in the match as the Pride continued its winning ways.

Elise Brogan (Andover, Mass.) had a tremendous match in the win over the Owls as she posted eight kills on 12 errorless attempts for a .667 hitting percentage and tied a career high with seven blocks.  Kelsey McGayhey (Shelter Island, N.Y.) delivered six kills, hitting .714, and three blocks in two sets, while both Lauren Holt (Granby, Conn.) and Hayley Kmetz (Ardsley, N.Y.) registered five kills.  Defensively, Hannah Lozano (Stockton, Calif.) tallied seven digs, while Rebecca Higgins (Orchard Park, N.Y.) had three of Springfield's seven aces.

Directing the Springfield attack, which owns the top hitting percentage in all of Division III women's volleyball, Molly Giannattasio (East Lyme, Conn.), Marnae Mawdsley (Bolton, Conn.), and Justine Pantaleo (Newark, Del.) combined for 29 assists.

Springfield opened the match taking a 9-5 lead, with a Holt ace forcing the Owls into a timeout.  Westfield climbed within 13-10 following three-consecutive aces, but the Pride powered past the visitors with a 12-2 run to close out the frame for the 25-13 win.  Springfield's offense produced a .579 hitting percentage in the frame, with Holt, McGayhey, and Kayleigh Helgesen (Oceanside, Calif.) each totaling three kills and Brogan notching four blocks.

After holding a 5-4 lead in the second set, Springfield used an 12-1 run, capped off by a big swing from Brogan to open a commanding 17-5 lead.  The Pride put together another great offensive performance, hitting .571 as a team, with Brogan tallying five kills and two blocks in the set.

With plenty of new faces in the lineup in the third set, the Pride didn't let up as it stormed out to a 15-5 lead following back-to-back kills from Jennifer Donnelly (Exeter, R.I.).  Hitting a match-best .600 in the game, Springfield benefited from nine Westfield State hitting errors en route to the 25-11 win.

Springfield, Keene State (25-17, 25-19, 25-17)

McGayhey and Kmetz each totaled seven kills in the win, while Holt racked up seven blocks.  Both Giannattasio and Mawdsley were credited with 14 assists and Lozano posted 13 digs.   As a team, Springfield recorded 10 team blocks and nine service aces.

Keene State raced out to a 9-6 lead to begin the match, only to have the Pride pour on a 10-2 surge to force the visitors into a timeout trailing 16-11. The Pride hit .333 in the game with McGayhey, Kmetz, and Jennifer Hurwitz (Longmeadow, Mass.) each posting three kills, while Holt patrolled the net with three blocks.

Springfield gained a 7-1 advantage to start the second set, thanks to three aces, including a pair from Kerry Purcell (Massapequa, N.Y.).  The visitors battled back with a 10-5 burst to make it a 12-10 contest, but Springfield pushed back with a 7-2 surce, capped off by a Lozano ace.  Keene State would get as close as 20-16, but a big swing from Helgesen and consecutive aces from Hurwitz allowed the Pride to ease to the 25-19 win.

The Pride used another strong start to get things going in the third, taking a 5-1 lead thanks to a pair of early klls from McGayhey.  The Owls made things interesting, after a Springfield error cut the hosts lead to 14-13, but a sideout kill from McGayhey put Springfield ahead for good as it completed the sweep with a 25-17 win.

2015 Tom Hay Invitational All-Tournament Team

Rachel Lamica - Keene State
Alexis Michal - Keene State
Lizzie Tayler - Westfield State
Allie Luppi - ECSU
Lauren Holt - Springfield
Molly Giannattasio - Springfield
Elise Brogan - Springfield - MVP