Babson Park, Mass. - November 6, 2021 - The Springfield College women's volleyball team rallied to a five-set victory over top-seeded Babson College in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championship Semifinals on Saturday afternoon to advance to the conference title match on Sunday.

Springfield, who was the fifth seed in the tournament, improved to 22-6 on the season by virtue of its 25-15, 22-25, 24-26, 25-23, 15-8 win.  The loss drops the top-seeded Beavers to 22-7.

Camryn Bancroft (Eastport, N.Y.) was dominant in the middle, registering 19 kills at a .326 clip, while the first-year duo of Natalie Billet (Commack, N.Y.) and Jamie Albrecht (Selden, N.Y.) were impressive on the pins and combined for 27 kills and 36 digs. Briana Tovar (Tucson, Ariz.) was sensational with her career-high 29-dig effort and Kylie Wixted (Ronkonkoma, N.Y. ) turned in eight blocks and seven kills as the duo anchored the Pride's defensive efforts.  Sara Labadorf (Huntersville, N.C.) had 49 assists and 16 digs in leading the offense.

For Babson, Allie Puccio led all players with 25 kills, Maddie Malee was credited with 29 digs, and Caroline Applewhite totaled 50 assists and 12 digs.

After Babson jumped out to a 4-1 start to begin the match, Springfield answered with an 11-4 push to take a 12-8 when Ashley Tanner (Manorville, N.Y.) ripped a ball through the Beavers block to force the hosts into a timeout.  Babson would battle back to within 17-14, but the Pride closed out the frame on an 8-1 push, with Billet blistering back-to-back aces for the 25-15 win. Both Billet and Bancroft each had four kills while Wixted was dominant at the net with three blocks. 

The Beavers jumped out to a 10-4 advantage in the second set as the hosts found an early rhythm offensively.  However, Springfield would climb back into the contest with an 11-4 burst capped off by an ace from Labadorf to pull within 15-14.  Teams trade three-point runs before Babson would take advantage of consecutive Pride miscues to gain a three-point edge that it would ride into a 25-22 triumph.  The hosts would total 14 kills in the frame, including six from Puccio. 

Springfield jumped out to a 9-6 lead in the third when Albrecht converted for a kill off hands, and after Babson knotted things up at 10-10, the Pride used a 5-2 burst to regain a 15-12 lead following a kill from Wixted.  With the teams even at 17, Springfield again gained some breathing room at 21-18 when Bancroft hammered a slide.  A kill from Billet gave the Pride set point at 24-23, only to have Babson reel off the final three-points to snag a 26-24 victory.

The Pride took a quick 4-2 lead in the fourth following a pair of kills from Albrecht, but Babson poured on seven-straight points to gain a 9-4 cushion.  The hosts lead would grow to 14-8, but Springfield would trim Babson's lead to 14-11 on a hard angle kill from Albrecht as the visistors called for a timeout. Springfield would retake the lead at 16-15 on a deep ace from Tovar and Billet would rip a ball down the line in transition at 21-20 as the Beavers burned their final timeout.  Out of the break, Wixted and Albrecht sealed a block as the Pride would roll to a 25-23 win, with Albrecht burying a kill to force the fifth. 

In the fifth, Springfield seized a 7-3 lead when Billet elevated over the block for a kill.  Wixted then delivered a pair of kills and combined with Albrecht for a thunderous block as part of a 5-0 burst as the lead ballooned to 13-5.  A kill from Albrecht gave the Pride match point, and two points later, a Babson service error completed the Pride's comeback.  Springfield had nine kills in the fifth and limited the Beavers to a -.034 hitting percentage. 

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