Springfield, Mass. - October 7, 2015 - The Springfield College women's volleyball team opened up the Tom Hay Invitational on Friday evening with a three-game sweep of Eastern Connecticut State in Blake Arena. The Pride won by the scores of 25-18, 25-17, 25-12.

Springfield, which was ranked third in the latest New England Women's Volleyball Association (NEWVA) Coaches Poll, improves to 19-2 as it won its 10th-consecutive match.

The Pride entered the match with the nation's best hitting percentage, and only added to it, as it hit .337 on the night.

Lauren Holt (Granby, Conn.) was dominant for the Pride in the win, totaling 12 kills at a .476 clip to go along with five blocks.  Kelsey McGayhey (Shelter Island, N.Y.) totaled seven kills and four blocks, while both Hannah Lozano (Stockton, Calif.) and Jennifer Hurwitz (Longmeadow, Mass.) were credited with 11 digs each.  Molly Giannattasio (East Lyme, Conn.) and Marnae Mawdsley (Bolton, Conn.) each totaled 14 assists.

For ECSU, Kay Mullen totaled 10 kills in the loss, as the visitors were held to a .073 hitting percentage.  Fabiana Della-Monica posted 15 assists and two aces, while Allie Luppi racked up nine digs.

Springfield's offense came out firing, putting away nine kills on its first 11 swings without committing an error, as the visitors called for a timeout trailing 11-6.  Springfield's lead grew to 17-11 after Holt hammered a ball in system out of the middle, only to have the Warriors battle back to within 18-14.  A kill from Hayley Kmetz (Ardsley, N.Y.) pushed the Pride's lead back to 22-16, and Holt sealed the win with her sixth kill of the night for the 25-18 win.  Springfield totaled 19 kills in the frame, hitting at an impressive .548.

Trailing 7-6 to begin the second set, Springfield put together six-straight points, with Giannattasio ripping a pair of aces, to provide the hosts a 12-7 cushion.  ECSU answered back with a 5-1 push of their own to force the hosts into its first timeout after its lead was trimmed to 13-12.  The visitors would tie things up at 13 and 15 until Springfield poured on a 7-0 run with Mawdsley at the service line to seize control of the set.  The Pride finished the set with six aces as it took a 25-17 decision over the Warriors.

After jumping out to a 12-5 lead following a big swing from McGayhey, Springfield leaned on its blocking, as the hosts notched seven team blocks in the set, including four by Holt.  The Pride forced ECSU into 12 hitting errors in the frame, and Holt provided three kills down the stretch to complete the sweep. 

Springfield will continue the Tom Hay Invitational on Saturday when it Westfield State and Keene State beginning at 10:00 am.