Springfield, Mass. - September 24, 2016 - The Springfield College women's volleyball team won its third New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) match of the week as it bested Emerson in straight sets on Saturday afternoon in Blake Arena.

The Pride won by the scores of 25-18, 25-14, 26-14 to improve to 10-3, 4-1 in NEWMAC play.  The loss drops Emerson to 10-5, 1-3. 

Hayley Kmetz (Ardsley, N.Y.) had another strong match for the Pride, totaling nine kills, hitting .500, to go along with four digs and two aces, while Jennifer Donnelly (Exeter, R.I.) chipped in nine kills and five digs of her own.  Lauren Holt (Granby, Conn.) totaled six kills and five blocks, Anagabrielle Sanchez (Caguas, Puerto Rico) was credited with 15 digs, and Marnae Mawdsley (Bolton, Conn.) led the offense to a .294 hitting percentage with 22 assists.  As a team, Springfield totaled a season-best 14 service aces, with Jennifer Hurwitz (Longmeadow, Mass.) and Hannah Lozano (Stockton, Calif.) each delivering three apiece.

Emerson was limited to a .156 hitting percentage with Jules Augustine leading her squad with eight kills.  Sam Harton totaled 15 digs and Moira Brennan dished out 21 assists.

With the score tied at eight all in the opening set, Springfield put together 5-1 surge, capped off by a Donnelly kill to force the visitors into a timeout.  The Lions battled back within 16-15 on an Augustine kill, only to have Jamie Schneck (Livingston, N.J.) sideout with a kill and kickstart a 9-4 burst to give the Pride a 25-18 win.  The hosts, which hit at a .481 clip in the stanza, were paced by Kmetz and Donnelly, who combined for nine of Springfields' 14 kills.  

Springfield raced out to an 11-4 advantage in the second set, only to have Emerson answer with four-straight points to make it 11-8 and force the Pride into a timeout.  Out of the break, Springfield used a 4-2 push to earn a five-point advantage and didn't look back as it cruised to a 25-14 win.  Donnelly totaled four kills and Sanchez registered eight digs in the set to hold Emerson to a -.074 hitting percentage.

The hosts were seemingly in control of the third set with a 20-11 lead late in the frame.  However, the Lions roared back with 13-4 run thanks to four kills from Augustine to knot the set at 24 apiece.  A kill from Donnelly gave the Pride match point, and out of a timeout, Sanchez ripped Springfield's sixth ace of the set for the winning point.  

Springfield will hit the courts next Tuesday when it travels to face Wheaton for a 7 pm contest.