Springfield, Mass. - September 26, 2017 - The Springfield College women's volleyball team was defeated in four sets by the visiting Coast Guard Academy in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) meeting in Blake Arena on Tuesday night.  The Bears won by the set scores of 25-19, 25-22, 21-25, 25-21.

Coast Guard improved to 10-5, 3-2 in conference action, while the Pride lost at home for the first time since September 17, 2016 and fell to 10-3, 2-2 on the year.   In fact, prior to tonight, Springfield had rattled off a 34-1 record over the past three seasons in Blake Arena. 

Playing for the first time since last Tuesday, Jen Donnelly (Exeter, R.I.) led the Pride with 21 digs and 17 digs, while Anagabrielle Sanchez (Caguas, Puerto Rico) chipped in with 21 digs of her own.  Kayley Cimino (Cumberland, Maine) was credited with 32 assists and 15 digs and Hannah Lozano (Stockton, Calif.) added 13 digs.

For the Bears, Bridget Boyle (Dunwoody, Ga.) totaled a match-high 20 kills and 11 digs, teammate Angelou Dunton (Seattle, Wash.) registered 18 digs and 14 kills, and Michelle McGill () recorded a team-best 21 digs.  The setting duo of Veronica Hine (Virginia Beach, Va.) and Makenna Martin (Granbury, Texas) combined for 42 assists in leading the Bears to a .207 hitting percentage.    

Springfield struggled to find its rhythm to start the match, and called for a timeout trailing 11-9 after its sixth attack error of the frame.  The Bears extended their advantage to eight on a pair of occasions, the last coming at 21-13 before Springfield put together a 5-1 burst, which was highlighted by a pair of Kayleigh Helgesen (Oceanside, Calif.) kills, to make it a 22-18 contest.   However, Coast Guard closed out the frame on a 3-1 surge to take the stanza, 25-19.  The Bears played outstanding team defense, racking up 28 digs as a team, led by 10 from McGill. 

The Pride jumped out to a 7-5 lead when Bridget Walsh (Garrison, N.Y.) put a ball away in transition, only to have the Bears answer right back with a 9-2 spurt for a 14-9 lead thanks to five Springfield miscues.  Facing a 19-14 deficit, Springfield closed within 22-21 on a 7-3 push capped off by a kill from Kait Bonsignore (St. Louis, Mo.), but consecutive Coast Guard points, including an ace by Boyle, gave the visitors set point.  Dunton would then rip her fourth kill of the set for the 25-22 win.   

The hosts benefited from some outstanding early serving by Haley DeRoche (Haverhill, Mass.) and Lozano to open up a 14-6 cushion midway through the second.  Despite a late push from Coast Guard, Hayley Kmetz (Ardsley, N.Y.) crushed a ball crosscourt in transition for the 22-17 lead.  The Bears would get no closer than three as Springfield took the stanza, 25-21, after Walsh produced a kill off the block.

The fourth set featured 11 ties and eight lead changes, the last coming at 16-all following a big swing from Donnelly.  However, the visitors rattled off five-consecutive points, thanks to three Springfield errors, as its lead balloned to 21-16.  Springfield would get within three on three occasions, before Coast Guard wrapped up the match with a 25-21 win as it hit .343 in the set.

 Springfield will now hit the road for a conference showdown with Wellesley, which will take place on Saturday at 1 pm.