Box Score NORTHAMPTON, Mass.—The Smith College volleyball team won their first conference game of the season and in so doing, snapped a 15 game losing streak with a 3-2 (21-25, 27-25, 25-15, 23-25, 15-7) win over Mt. Holyoke College on NEWMAC volleyball action on Tuesday night.
The win lifts Smith to a 2-16 overall record, and 1-6 in the NEWMAC. The Lyons drop to 7-12, and 0-7 in NEWMAC competition.
Mt. Holyoke jumped out to a 10-5 lead in the first set, but Smith reeled off three straight points, starting with a block from Rebecca Gordon, a kill from Sonia Brown and a Mt. Holyoke error to pull within 11-8. After a Mt. Holyoke timeout, the Lyons increased their lead to 16-10 before serving out of bounds. Rosa Drummond's kill pulled Smith to within 18-13, then served up an ace that brought Smith to within 19-16. The teams traded points, as Smith pulled to 21-18 on a kill from Laurel Belton, but the Lyons scored four of the next seven points to take the set.
In the second set, Smith took a quick 5-2 lead on a pair of kills from Laurel Belton (San Bernardino, Calif./Aquinas) to force Mt. Holyoke into a timeout. Two more kills from Belton pushed the Pioneer lead to 9-6, and the senior then served an ace that boosted the score to 12-6. The Lyons pulled within three points when Smith served out of bounds, followed by an ace, but two more points from the Pioneers caused Mt. Holyoke to call a timeout when Smith took a 17-11 lead. The Lyons pulled to within 20-19 before Smith took back the serve on an MHC ball handling error, and the teams went back and forth before the Lyons took a 24-23 lead on a Smith attacking error. Smith then won the next point to tie the set, and the teams continued to trade points. Smith went to set point at 26-25 when Mt. Holyoke hit it out of bounds, and Belton killed the final point to seal the set.
The teams traded points to open the third set, with no team going up by more than two until Rebecca Gordon served Smith into a 9-6 lead. Mt. Holyoke responded with four straight points to take a 10-9 lead before a ball handling error on the Lyons tied the score at 10. Smith opened up a 15-13 lead on a ball handling error by MHC, which led to a time out. Gordon's leap pushed Smith's lead to 17-14, which quickly went to 19-14 on another MHC error and another Mt. Holyoke timeout. Belton pounded down a kill to make it 23-14, and then closed out the set by serving the Lyons into an error.
The fourth set was more of the same, as Smith took an early 5-3 lead on a kill from Drummond, only to see the Lyons get two straight points and tie the set. Mt. Holyoke then edged out to an 8-6 lead, but gave a point back by serving into the net, and Smith knotted the score at 10 on an MHC attacking error. Paige Sarlandt (Cloverdale, Calif./Cloverdale), who was also making her return from an injury that had kept her out since the season opener, snapped an 11-all tie with three serves as Smith opened up a 14-11 lead. Drummond stretched the lead to 18-13, but there was another twist to the plot, as Mt. Holyoke scored 11 of the next 17 points to take a 24-23 lead, and close out the set with an ace.
Forced to a fifth set, Smith burst out to a 4-1 lead behind the serving of Blair Bell (Upper Montclair, N.J./Montclair Kimberly). After a Mt. Holyoke timeout, Drummond crushed another kill, then served Smith to four consecutive points to open up a 7-2 lead. Mt. Holyoke never got closer than 8-4, as Smith finished the set on a 7-3 run to close out the match.
Smith and Mt. Holyoke will join forces to host the 19th annual Volleyball Hall of Fame tournament this weekend, on both campuses. Smith will open hosting Westfield State College on Friday, October 22 at 5 p.m. Mt. Holyoke will start the tournament with a match up with Union (N.Y.), also at 5 p.m.
