Boston, Mass. - April 1, 2015 - The Springfield College men's volleyball team benefited from 16 kills from Greg Woods (Middletown, Conn.) as it swept Emmanuel College on Wednesday evening.  The Pride won by the scores of 25-11, 25-21, 25-20.

Springfield is now 18-6 and was ranked sixth in the latest AVCA Division III National Poll.

The Pride, which hit .470 in the win, was paced by Woods, who registered a match-high 16 kills at a .542 clip, while Ricardo Padilla Ayala (San Juan, Puerto Rico) totaled eight kills, hitting .500, to go along with five digs and a career-best four aces.  Keaton Pieper (Dallas, Texas) handed out 35 assists and Ryan Malone (Chicopee, Mass.) collected a team-best seven digs.

Holding a 10-7 advantage in the opening frame, the Pride scored six-straight points to gain a commanding nine-point cushion.  Springfield's offense was sensational in the opening set as it hit .765, recording 14 kills on just 17 swings with one error, thanks to four kills on four errorless swings from Woods.

After falling behind 13-9 in the second set, Springfield rattled off six-straight points, with a Padilla Ayala kill putting the visitors ahead 15-13.   The teams would be tied six times in the frame, the last coming at 21-all until a block from Angel Perez (Naranjito, Puerto Rico) and Jason Mascoe (Uniondale, N.Y.) put the Pride ahead for good.  Padilla Ayala sealed the four-point burst with a pair of aces, including the final point of the frame for a 25-21 win.   Emmanuel leaned heavily on Ashanti Jackson in the second set, as the outside hitter erupted for nine kills to keep the hosts close.

Out of a timeout at 16-all, Padilla Ayala produced another kill which gave the Pride a lead it would not relinquish.  The Saints would get as close as 20-19, but kills from Woods and Perez coupled with consecutive aces from Eric Johnson (Tustin, Calif.) gave Springfield set point before an Emmanuel service error ended the match.  Springfield hit .545 in the third, with Woods hammering down seven kills.

The Pride will host the Springfield College Invitational this weekend, beginning with Ramapo on Friday