Springfield, Mass. - September 4, 2015 - The Springfield College women's volleyball team opened the 2015 season with a pair of straight-set wins over Bridgewater State and Oneonta State in Blake Arena on Friday night at the Springfield College Invitational. 

Springfield 3, Bridgewater State 0 -- (25-6, 25-16, 25-11)

Kelsey McGayhey (Shelter Island, N.Y.) posted a match-high nine kills at a .571 clip to pace the Pride attack, while Lauren Holt (Granby, Conn.) delivered six kills on eight-errorless attempts to along with five blocks.  Marnae Mawdsley (Bolton, Conn.) and Molly Giannattasio (East Lyme, Conn.) combined for 30 assists, with Mawdsley chipping in eight digs and five service aces.  In her first action in a Springfield uniform, transfer Kayleigh Helgesen (Oceanside, Calif.) tallied seven kills on a .500 hitting percentage.

For Bridgewater, both Clara Goncalves and Hannah Maymon each had five kills, while Charleyne Panner was credited with 13 assists.  Goncalves led all players with 10 digs as the Bears were limited to a -.014 hitting percentage for the contest.

In its opening set of the 2015 campaign, Springfield's offense came out clicking on all cylinders, producing a .636 hitting percentage as team.  The Pride stormed out to a 10-2 lead on an overpass kill from Holt and didn't look back as it eased to a 25-6 win.  Holt was dominant in the frame, delivering kills on all four of her swings to go along with a pair of blocks.

In the second game, Hayley Kmetz (Ardsley, N.Y.) and Holt teammed up for a block in the early going to give Springfield a 9-4 advantage, forcing the Bears into a timeout.  Another Mawdsley ace pushed Springfield's lead to 20-13, and the hosts closed out the frame on a 5-2 push, with Helgesen hammering her fourth kill of the frame to complete the 25-16 win.

The beginning of the third set proved to be the closest, as Springfield fell behind 4-2 in the early going.  However, Springfield regrouped and put together a 23-7 run to close out the stanza to complete the sweep. McGayhey and Jennifer Donnelly (Exeter, R.I.) each had five kills for Springfield, which hit .429 in the game.

Springfield 3, Oneonta 0 -- (25-17, 25-15, 25-21)

Elise Brogan (Andover, Mass.) notched a match-best nine kills, hitting .643, to go along with four blocks to guide Springfield to the the straight-set win.  Six different players recorded at least three kills, with McGayhey adding eight, and Holt and Helgesen posting five each.  Mawdsley and Giannattasio once again combined for 30 assists, while Jennifer Hurwitz (Longmeadow, Mass.) picked up a match-high 13 digs and three aces. 

For Oneonta, both Jill Darpino and Erika Corbin each registered eight kills, while Jessica Pelaccio recorded 14 assists.  Paige Carplug led the squad with eight digs as the Dragons hit just .083 in the loss.

After falling behind 4-2 in the opening set, Springfield put together an 9-1 run, with a Holt serve clipping the tape for an ace to put the hosts up 11-5.  The lead grew to 15-8 on a solo stuff from Brogan, only to have the Dragons battle back to within 15-11.  Springfield answered back with a 6-2 push, capped off by a Helgesen kill, and it eased to a 25-17 first set win.

Knotted at six in the second set, Springfield strung together five-straight points, highlighted by a pair of aces by Hurwitz to take control of the stanza.  Springfield hit .385 in the set, with McGayhey accounting for four of the Pride's 14 kills.

Facing an early 6-4 deficit in the third, Springfield used a 7-3 surge to gain a three-point cushion at 11-8 on a Giannattasio kill.  Oneonta would rally to take a 16-14 lead, but the Pride would not go away, evening things at 17 after McGayhey crafted a kill around the block.  The Pride continued its momentum as Mawdsley ace put the Pride on top, 23-20, which it would carry to the eventual 25-21 victory.

Springfield College Invitational

Day 1
Springfield College 3, Bridgewater State 0 (25-6, 25-16, 25-11)
Springfield College vs. Oneonta State  0 (25-17, 25-15, 25-21)
Emmanuel 3, Bridgewater State 0 (25-15, 35-33, 28-26)