Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 WELLESLEY, Mass.--The Smith College volleyball team split their opening matches at the 2011 Seven Sisters Championship at Wellesley College on Saturday afternoon.  Smith swept a three set match from Mount Holyoke, then lost a five set thriller to Vassar College in the nightcap.  The Pioneers improved to 7-8 on the year.

In the opening Seven Sisters' match for both squads, Smith defeated Mount Holyoke, 3-0 (25-16, 25-20, 25-18).

Smith jumped to a 12-5 lead in the opening set, courtesy of serving runs from Sonia Brown (Amherst, Mass./Amherst) and Kristi Hammond (Yona, Guam/St. Johns School), as the Pioneers cruised to a 25-16 win. The teams traded points through the first half of game two, until Smith gained some sepration with three straight points for a 19-15 lead. The Lyons responded with a five-point run from Mollyanne Fitzpatrick to tie the set at 20-20, but Smith answered with five of their own for the 25-20 win.

Set three was a replica of set one, as two early serving series gave the Pioneers a 15-5 lead. The Lyons mounted a small comeback midway through the set, but Smith held on for the 25-18 win.

Smith was led by Rosa Drummond (Rye, N.H./Portsmouth)'s 13 kills while Blair Bell (Upper Montclair, N.J./Montclair Kimberly) added eight. Bethany Ashworth (North Falmouth, Mass./Bourne) picked up 23 digs, while Hayley Bezubka (N. Kingstown, R.I./N. Kingstown) recorded 12 assists. Bell and Becca Gordon (West Hartford, Conn./Hall) each had two blocks to round out the stat leaders. 

The Pioneers second match of the day saw Smith win the first two sets before Vassar came back to win the next three for a 3-2 (21-25, 25-27, 25-21, 25-14, 15-11) win.

Smith inched out to an early lead in set one before a six-point serving series from Vassar's Amy Bavosa gave the Brewers a 14-11 edge. But the Pioneers responded with two late surges to take the first set 25-21. The Brewers grabbed the early momentum in set two, building a 17-10 lead as they appeared poised to even the match at 1-1. But Smith responded with a late charge, fighting off two set points before taking the set 27-25.

Down 2-0, Vassar re-grouped and built a 14-9 lead in the first half of set three. Smith pulled to within three at 22-19, but could get no closer as the Brewers snagged a 25-21 win. The Brewers then charged out of the gate in set four, establishing a 15-5 advantage in route to a 25-14 victory, evening the match at two sets a piece.

In the fifth and deciding set, Smith pulled out to a 9-6 lead. But Vassar answered with tough serving and tougher defense, out-scoring Smith 9-2 for the 15-11 win.

Amy Bavosa led the way for the Brewers, talling 20 kills, while Marie Pitre added 12. Hilary Koenigs dished out 40 assists, while Aoife Feighery recorded 29 digs. Blocking leaders were Cebe Loomis with six assists and Pitre with five.

For Smith, Blair Bell (Upper Montclair, N.J./Montclair Kimberly) tallied 18 kills and 18 digs, while Rosa Drummand tallied 19 kills and 10 digs. Courtney Faria (Pocasset, Mass./Bourne) distributed 26 assists, while Hayley Bezubka (N. Kingstown, R.I./N. Kingstown) added 18 assists. Rounding out the stat sheet, Bethany Ashworth (North Falmouth, Mass./Bourne) ad 18 digs and Paige Sarlandt (Cloverdale, Calif./Cloverdale) picked up three blocks. 

Day two will feature the Pioneers playing Bryn Mawr College at 9:00 a.m., followed by an 11:30 a.m. matchup with host Wellesley.

(Parts of this story courtesy Wellesley Sports Information)