Box Score Worcester, Mass. - October 6, 2015 - The Springfield College women's volleyball team received a career-best performance from Kayleigh Helgesen (Oceanside, Calif.) and the visiting Pride won its ninth-straight match with a convincing 3-0 win over Clark University in New England Women's And Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) volleyball action on Tuesday evening.
The win for Springfield improves their overall record to an impressive 18-2 and more importantly, they jump to 6-1 in conference contests. For the Cougars, meanwhile, they have now dropped three of their last four matches after a 10-0 start and are now 13-4 overall and 4-2 in league games.
Springfield, which entered the contest as the nation's leading team in hitting percentage (.299), did nothing to lower that average by hitting .306 in their three set victory.
Helgesen was a huge factor, hammering down a career-high 14 kills on a sizzling .520 hitting, while teammate
Kelsey McGayhey (Shelter Island, N.Y.) aided in the Pride attack, collecting 11 kills on .409 hitting.
Clark stayed close in the opening set and after an Ana Mercado (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) kill, the score stood at 22-21. Springfield closed out the set though, with back-to-back kills from Lauren Holt (Granby, Conn.) and Helgesen to take the opener 25-22.
The second set saw the Scarlet and White right in the mix, down 12-10 when the Pride recorded ten of the next 14 points to take a commanding 22-14 edge. Clark responded, getting as close as 22-19, but once again Springfield was able to slam the door, capped by an Elise Brogan (Andover, Mass.) set-sealing kill.
The Pride took early control of the third and final set, leading by as many as 13 points at 18-5 en route to a 25-14 match clinching victory.
Holt, the reigning NEWMAC Player of the Week, finished with nine kills for the visitors, while Jennifer Hurwitz (Longmeadow, Mass.) (17) and Hannah Lozano (Stockton, Calif.) (18) combined for 35 digs. Marnae Mawdsley (Bolton, Conn.) and Molly Giannattasio (East Lyme, Conn.) were credited with 41 of the Pride's 47 assists in the win.
Clark was led by Marina Ramos (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico), who tallied team-highs in kills (11) and digs (18), while Rachel Webb (Celina, Texas) dished out a match-best 31 helpers.
Springfield will host the Tom Hay Invitational this weekend when it welcomes Keene State, Eastern Connecticut State, and Westfield State to campus for the two-day event.
