Springfield, Mass. – October 8, 2024 - The Springfield College women's volleyball team produced a four-set win over Smith College on Tuesday night in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) clash in Blake Arena.  Springfield won by the scores of 20-25, 25-21, 25-19, 25-18
 
For head coach Moira Long, the victory marked the 300^th of her 14-year career on Alden Street as she previously earned her 600th career victory earlier in the season.  With the win, Springfield improved to 10-4 on the season, 4-1 against NEWMAC foes.  The loss dropped Smith to 14-5, 3-1.

The middle tandem of Jodi Saelua (Mililani, Hawaii) and Maeve Voltz (Bay Shore, N.Y.) were dominate as they combined for 19 kills and nine blocks, while Natalie Billet (Commack, N.Y.) chipped in 10 kills.  Kristen DeLorenzo (Syracuse, N.Y.) totaled a match-best 13 digs and Tori Colosimo (Fairport, N.Y.) and Megan Kirtyan (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) led the Pride's offense to a .252 hitting percentage as they handed out 39 assists.

The visitors jumped out to a 9-4 lead early in the first set on an ace, but Springfield would respond to even things up at 12 apiece on a Pioneer miscue.  Tough serving by Smith kept the Pride out of system as the visitors manufactured a 9-2 push to seize control of a set en route to the 25-20 win.   Smith had four aces in the frame and limited the Pride to a .080 hitting percentage.

After Smith scored the first three points of the second, it would prove to be a back-and-forth affair with six ties before the Pioneers opened up a 15-12 cushion. A kill from Voltz would kickstart a 9-2 surge that was capped off by an ace by Colosimo which gave Springfield some breathing room at 21-17.  Voltz and Donahue would team up to seal the 25-21 with the Pride's fifth team block of the stanza to knot the match up at a set apiece.

Springfield broke open an 11-10 edge with a 6-1 run which featured a pair of kills by Voltz to build a 17-12 advantage. The hosts would go on to lead by as many as seven points before the Pioneers sixth service error of the set gave them a 25-19 win.

The Pride carried that momentum into the force, racing out to a 10-2 lead following an ace by Morgan Stafford (Corbett, Ore.). A kill from Billet allowed the lead to balloon to 17-9 and Voltz hammered a ball in transition to conclude the 25-18 fourth set, a frame in which Springfield totaled 17 kills at a .314 clip.

Next up for Springfield will be a non-conference match against Amherst at 7 pm on Thursday night.

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