Springfield, Mass. - October 28, 2015 - In a match that pitted two of the top teams in the region, the Springfield College women's volleyball team prevailed with a four-set victory over Amherst College on Wednesday evening in Blake Arena.  The Pride won by the set scores of 25-20, 25-18, 21-25, 25-23.

Springfield, which is ranked second in this week's New England Women's Volleyball Association (NEWVA) Poll is now 27-2 on the year and has won 17-straight matches.  Amherst, ranked third in the region, had its seven-match winning streak snapped and dropped to 19-3.

After missing the last five matches, Kelsey McGayhey (Shelter Island, N.Y.) returned in dominant fashion, tying a career high with 18 kills at a .343 clip, while Lauren Holt (Granby, Conn.) added 10 kills and eight blocks.  Springfield as a team racked up a season-best 94 digs, thanks to a career-high 26 from Hannah Lozano (Stockton, Calif.) and 19 from Jennifer Hurwitz (Longmeadow, Mass.).  Marnae Mawdsley (Bolton, Conn.) and Molly Giannattasio (East Lyme, Conn.) combined for 46 assists in the win as it ran the Pride's offense. 

Nicole Gould was the lone Lord Jeff to record double-digit kils as she totaled 10 in the loss.  Nicole Carter handed out 34 assists, Katie Warshaw racked up 19 digs, and Lizzie Ahern totaled a team-best four blocks.  Amherst was held to a .107 hitting percentage in the match, its lowest output of the season.

After dropping the first three points of the match, Springfield reeled off seven-straight  behind tremendous serving from Lozano.  Springfield's lead grew to 13-7 on a Kayleigh Helgesen (Oceanside, Calif.) swing in transition, only to have the visitors answer with three-straight points to climb within 13-10.  The Pride responded with four-straight points to regain a 17-10 cushion as a Giannattasio ace painted the back line to force the Lord Jeffs into a timeout.  A McGayhey kill would push Springfield's lead to 21-13, only to have a five-point Amherst burst make is a 21-18 ball game.  Holt and Helgesen controlled the net down the stretch, coming up with big two blocks to seal the 25-20 victory.

After a back-and-forth start to the second set that featured eight ties, Springfield put together a six-point surge, opening up an 18-11 advantage following a stuff from Helgesen and Holt.  As they did the first set, the Lord Jeffs didn't go away quietly, battling back within 21-17 after consecutive blocks from Ahearn. Back-to-back kills from McGayhey halted the Amherst run and the Pride closed out at 25-18 win.

Amherst put together a 5-0 run early in the third set to gain an 8-5 advantage on an overpass kill, and would later force Springfield into a timeout after a Lord Jeff block put them ahead, 12-9.  Springfield would regain a 15-14 advantage after Rebecca Higgins (Orchard Park, N.Y.) ripped a kill off the block following a long rally, only to have Amherst respond with four-straight points thanks to a pair of aces from Hayes Honea.  Springfield would get as close as 22-20 after a thunderous swing from McGayhey, but the visitors would hang on for the 25-21 win.

The Lord Jeffs were on the verge of sending the match into a fifth set as they held a 21-13 advantage following consecutive Springfield hitting errors.  Head coach Moira Long went to her bench and subbed in Justine Pantaleo (Newark, Del.), and the first-year helped orchestrate a 7-0 run to bring Springfield within 21-19.   The visitors would push back to go up 23-20, but the Pride closed out the game with the final five points, as Helgesen sandwiched two kills around a Higgins cross court kill and Holt solo block, setting up Hurwitz's third ace of the evening to complete the comeback.

Springfield will play its final home match of the regular season on Saturday when it hosts New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) rival Wellesley at 1:00 pm in Blake Arena.