Box Score NORTHAMPTON, Mass.--The Smith College volleyball team, playing at home for the first time in three weeks, scored a 3-1 (21-25, 25-15, 25-14, 27-25) New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) win over Wheaton College on Tuesday night. 

It was the second straight league win for Smith, which improves to 5-6 overall, and 2-2 in NEWMAC play, while Wheaton falls to 5-10, and 1-3 against NEWMAC foes.

Mei-Li Smith (Cypress, Calif./Cypress) had a fine performance with six kills, 15 assists, 14 digs, two solo blocks, and three service aces.  Rosa Drummond (Rye, N.H./Portsmouth) added 11 kills and 11 digs. 

Wheaton was paced by 10 kills and 16 digs from Deridre Wilson, and 20 assists from Page Gustofson.  Robyn D'Agostino added 14 digs for the Lyons.  Bethany Ashworth (North Falmouth, Mass./Bourne) had 13 assists.

The Lyons came out strong in the first set, turning a 5-5 game into an 11-6 advantage that forced Smith into a timeout.  Smith got within three when Wheaton served into the net, but three straight points of Mei-Li Smith (Cypress, Calif./Cypress) serves brought Smith to within 17-16, and a service ace from Rosa Drummond (Rye, N.H./Portsmouth) gave Smith a 19-18 advantage.  Wheaton closed out the set by scoring seven of the final nine points for a 25-21 victory.

Smith rebounded in set two, bursting out to a 7-1 advantage courtesy of Becca Alexander (Powell, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne)'s block at the net.  A Wheaton attack error increased Smith's lead to 12-3, and Smith did not look back, never letting Wheaton get within eight points and winning 25-15.

The third set was much like the second - Wheaton grabbed an early 3-2 lead, but Mei-Li served Smith to 10 consecutive points to open up a 12-3 advantage.  The Pioneers forced Wheaton into a timeout with the lead at 19-8, and continued to cruise to a 25-14 win.

Set four was nip-and-tuck throughout, with neither team holding an advantage of more than four points.  Smith eased to a 14-10 lead, but after a Wheaton timeout, the Lyons rallied, tying the set at 20.  Wheaton served out of bounds to return the lead to Smith, only to take it back at 24-23 on a Smith attacking error.  The Pioneers tied the match at 25 of a kill from Mei-Li Smith (Cypress, Calif./Cypress), and won the match when Wheaton returned Sonia Brown (Amherst, Mass./Amherst)'s serve out of bounds.

Smith will be off for a week before hosting Worcester Polytechnic Institute on October 2 at 7 p.m. in a NEWMAC contest.  Wheaton will head to Washington, D.C. for the Worthington Classic, facing Trine (Ind.), Marymount, and Gallaudet.