Springfield, Mass. – September 2, 2023 – The Springfield College women's volleyball team swept both Rivier and UMass Boston in Blake Arena on Saturday to push its record to 3-0 on the season and win the Springfield College Invitational.

Natalie Billet (Commack, N.Y.) was chosen as the Most Outstanding Player and was joined by Maeve Voltz (Bay Shore, N.Y.) and Ally Townsend (Hummelstown, Pa.) on the All-Tournament Team.

On Wednesday, Springfield will travel to Connecticut to face Trinity at 6 pm. 

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Springfield College Invitational All-Tournament Team
Natalie Billet (Springfield) - MVP
Ally Townsend (Springfield)
Maeve Voltz (Springfield)
Allie Hill (Westfield State)
Lily Sills (Rivier)
Ella Harris (Skidmore)
Taryn Broughal (UMass Boston)
Reagan Fleming (Keene State)

Springfield 3, Rivier 0 (25-18, 25-4, 25-11)

Fueled by a dominant offensive performance that featured a .500 team hitting percentage, the Springfield College women's volleyball team eased past Rivier in straight sets to begin the day. Olivia Nealy (Athens, Ga.) was especially efficient on the pin, totaling 11 kills on 13 errorless attempts, while Emily Keaveney (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) chipped in eight kills at a .500 clip.  Natalie Billet (Commack, N.Y.) contributed seven of the Pride's 16 aces and Megan Kirtyan (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) and Tori Colosimo (Fairport, N.Y.) produced 28 assists in running the offense. The Pride limited Rivier to just 16 kills on the morning.

In the opening set, the Pride broke open a 10-8 contest with a 6-1 push as the hosts gained a comfortable seven-point edge.  The Raiders would get no closer than three points and Billet put away the Pride's 14th kill of the set for the 25-18 win. 

Four early aces from Billet allowed Springfield to storm out to a 10-0 advantage to start the second set.  The Pride would deliver 12 kills on 19 errorless attempts for a .632 hitting percentage to go along with nine aces en route to the 25-4 triumph. 

Springfield carried that momentum into the third, seizing an 11-2 lead off an ace by Nealy.  Eight different student-athletes recorded at least one kill in the stanza for the Pride as it limited Rivier to a -.059 hitting percentage and completed the sweep with a 25-11 victory. 

Springfield 3, UMass Boston 0 (25-16, 25-23, 25-17)
Billet stuffed her stat sheet with a match-best 12 kills and 10 digs, while Voltz produced eight kills, hitting .538, and six blocks.  Townsend totaled five aces and 15 digs for a Pride team that kept the Beacons to just a .043 hitting percentage. 

An ace from Oliva Nealy (Athens, Ga.) gave Springfield an early 5-1 lead in the first and the hosts would be in control throughout the stanza as they won by a 25-16 margin.  Springfield hit .458 in the opener, with Billet accounting for five kills. 

The second set featured six ties and four lead changes as the Pride found itself trailing 18-14 .  However, back-to-back kills from Voltz kickstarted a late surge and she would later team with Emily Keaveney (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) for a block to close out a five-point run as Springfield regained the lead.  The Pride would pull away with the 25-21 victory, as seven players had at least a kill in the frame. 

Tied up at 6-6 in the third, Springfield broke open the match with a 17-6 run as the hosts took advantage of UMass Boston hitting -.120 in the set.  Billet put away her 12th kill of the afternoon on match point as Springfield closed out the weekend with another victory.