Norton, Mass. - September 11, 2012 - The Springfield College women's volleyball team began its title defense by sweeping Wheaton College in both squads New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) opener on Tuesday evening. The Pride took the match, 25-8, 25-19, 25-17.
Playing the Lyons for the second time in five days, the win boosts the Pride's record to 7-2. The Lyons dropped to 3-6.
For the visiting Pride, senior Mary Consol turned in 11 kills at a .550 clip to lead the way. Sophomore Molly Giannattasio distributed 16 assists to go along with four blocks, four digs, three aces, and three kills. Amy Entel and freshman Kerry Purcell added 11 and 10 digs, respectively. As a team, Springfield racked up 13 service aces at hit .264 for the match.
Wheaton freshman Casey Hess led the attack with five kills, while senior Rachel Vergara and first-year player Arieanne Creighton added four kills each. In addition, freshman Jackie Kochiss recorded 14 assists and eight digs.
Wheaton trailed Springfield by a 9-4 count in the opening set before the visitors went on a 14-2 run to put the contest out of reach. A Consol kill and a Giannattasio service ace, one of three for her, gave the Pride a quick 1-0 edge.
The hosts battled back in the second set, tying Springfield seven times, including at 13-all. The Lyons then hung around and were down 20-18 on a kill from freshman Elise Waelder. However, the Pride used a 5-1 run to close things out.
Wheaton held a 5-4 lead in the third and final set before Springfield answered with a 5-0 spurt for a lead it wouldn't relinquish. The Lyons crept back to within one at 10-9, but the Pride responded with six straight points and led by at least six the rest of the way. Consol and Purcell were huge in the run, as Consol notched two kills and Purcell added two blocks.
Springfield will now prep for a rematch of last year's NEWMAC Tournament Championship match when it travels to square off against Wellesley on Saturday. First serve is 1:00 pm.