Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 MEDFORD, Mass.--The Smith College volleyball team split their opening matches on the first day of the MIT Volleyball Invitational.  Playing at Tufts University, Smith swept Newbury College 3-0 (25-8, 25-10, 25-8) before falling to regionally ranked Tufts (20-25, 15-25, 25-27).

Smith is now 3-5 overall, heading into the second day of the tournament.  Smith will take on Colby College and Simmons College at 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. respectively.  Both matches will be played at Endicott College.

Smith vs. Tufts
 

Smith jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first set, backed by a pair of kills from first-year Mei-Li Smith (Cypress, Calif./Cypress) and a service ace by senior Blair Bell (Upper Montclair, N.J./Montclair Kimberly). Four would be the largest advantage for the Pioneers in the set as Tufts came back to take the lead for good at 8-7.

A kill by sophomore Cameron Long year gave the Jumbos their largest advantage of the set at 22-15.

The second set had two ties and two lead changes. Smith led by four, 8-4, at one point before the Jumbos once again came back to take control. Tufts tallied four in a row to force an 8-8 tie and then they scored eight of the next 10 points to go up 16-10, forcing a timeout from the Pioneers.

The Jumbo lead never got below four the rets of the way and junior Virginia Clay wrapped things up for Tufts with three service aces in a five-point run to end the set.

The Pioneers once again built an early lead in the third set, 4-0. The advantage ballooned to as much as six at 12-6, which forced the Jumbos to halt the action with a timeout.

Smith's largest lead came at 17-10 after an ace by Bell. Then the Jumbos tallied five points in a row to pull within two at 17-15. Tufts fought to tie the score at 19 before taking its first lead at 20-19. Then there were ties at 20 through 25 before the Jumbos picked up two straight for the victory.

  Junior Bethany Ashworth (North Falmouth, Mass./Bourne) led the Pioneers with 16 assists and eight digs. First-year Mei-Li Smith (Cypress, Calif./Cypress) had a team-high 11 kills and Bell had three service aces and seven digs. Junior Sonia Brown (Amherst, Mass./Amherst) finished with a team-high 10 digs.

(Note: Information on Newbury match was not immediately available.  More information will be made available as soon as possible)