Springfield, Mass. - September 8, 2026 - The Springfield College women's volleyball team continued its strong start to the 2026 season on Tuesday night, defeating Amherst College, 3-1, by scores of 16-25, 25-17, 25-14, 30-28 at Blake Arena.
The Pride improve to 2-0 on the season, while Amherst falls to 1-2 overall.
Jodi Saelua (Mililani, Hawaii) powered Springfield's offense with 14 kills while hitting .545 and also added six blocks. Alexa Bonato (Orange, Conn.) added 13 kills, one ace and a block, while Tori Colosimo (Fairport, N.Y.) orchestrated the Pride offense with 36 assists, nine digs and two aces. Gabbie Weissgarber (Colorado Springs, Colo.) added seven kills, four aces and three blocks.
Amherst opened the match by taking the first set, jumping out to an early lead that they never relinquished to take the set, 25-16.
The Pride responded in the second set, hitting .389 to even the match at one set apiece. It was back-and-forth between both squads before a kill from Saelua sparked eight unanswered points from Springfield and an ace from Victoria O'Neill (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) sealed the win 25-17.Â
Springfield made a statement in the third set as the Pride took control early and built a comfortable lead. The Pride started off the set with three straight points before going on a 7-0 run to lead 13-4. Springfield's defense and efficient attack helped Springfield cruise to a 25-14 victory as the Pride moved within one set of claiming the match.
The fourth set featured a back-and-forth battle from start to finish as neither team was able to create significant separation as the two sides traded points throughout the set. A late ace by Avery Chandler (Stoneville, N.C.) and a block from Weissgarber and Saeula helped were key in helping Springfield gain momentum so let in the set. With the set tied at 28, a service error by Amherst gave Springfield a 29-28 advantage before an Amherst attack error on the following point sealed the 30-28 comeback victory for the Pride.
The Pride return to action on Friday, September 11, as they travel to New Paltz to take on Colby-Sawyer in the Hawks Invitational.
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