Springfield, Mass. - October 31, 2015 - The Springfield College women's volleyball team closed out the regular season with a four-set victory over Wellesley College on Saturday afternoon in Blake Arena in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) showdown.

The win boosted Springfield's record to 28-2 on the year, 9-1 in league play as the Pride put together its 19th-straight victory.  Wellelsey dropped to 14-14, 5-5 in conference action.  The Pride will begin its quest for a NEWMAC Championship when it hosts a quarterfinal matchup on Tuesday evening in Blake Arena at 7 pm.

Lauren Holt (Granby, Conn.) led Springfield with 10 kills and eight blocks, while Kayleigh Helgesen (Oceanside, Calif.) totaled 10 kills in the win.  Rebecca Higgins (Orchard Park, N.Y.) produced nine kills at a .368 clip,  Kelsey McGayhey (Shelter Island, N.Y.) chipped in eight kills and three blocks, and Hannah Lozano (Stockton, Calif.) led all players with 16 digs.  Jennifer Hurwitz (Longmeadow, Mass.) registered 13 digs, three blocks, and three aces, and Marnae Mawdsley (Bolton, Conn.) had 21 of Springfield's 43 assists in helping guide the Pride to a .320 hitting percentage. 

Yasmine Reece (New Rochelle, N.Y.) had a standout match for Wellesley as she collected a match-high 20 kills, while Elise Griffin (Los Altos Hills, Calif.) added seven kills of her own.  The Blue, which hit .082 in the contest, was directed by Michelle Li (Scarsdale, N.Y.) as she tallied 36 assists.  Maddie Koh (Seattle, Wash.) came off the bench to deliver three aces and a team-best 10 digs.

Springfield, which entered the match with the nation's top hitting percentage, struggled to find its offensive rythym as it committed six attack errors early to fall behind 15-12.  The Blue would extend its lead to 18-14, but a 5-1 burst by the Pride evened things at 19 all.  A block from Holt and Hayley Kmetz (Ardsley, N.Y.) put Springfield ahead, 23-22, only to have the Blue rattle off the the final three points, with Reece's seventh kill of the frame giving the hosts a 25-23 win.  The set was the closest of the match as it featured 14 ties and eight lead changes.

The Blue continued to dictate the match from the service line, racing out to a 12-2 lead to begin the second set.  However, after a Wellesley service error, Holt hammered three-straight overpass kills to kickstart a remarkble 18-0 surge that put the hosts ahead 20-12.  Hurwitz was terrific in the run from the service line and McGayhey slammed Springfield's 17th kill of the set to take the 25-17 victory.

Springfield took early control of the third, snagging an 8-4 advantage, only have a Koh ace tie things at 13 apiece.  Springfield would answer with four-straight points, including a big swing from Helgesen to regain the lead for good.  Higgins paced the attack with four kills in the set as Springfield took a 2-1 lead in the match with a 25-18 win.

The hosts got their block going in the fourth set, tallying five stuffs in the early going, including four by Holt to take a 10-4 lead as the Blue burned a timeout.  Holt continued to dominate the frame, totaling six blocks in the set, and the Pride's lead ballooned to 22-6 following a Justine Pantaleo (Newark, Del.) ace.