Box Score NORTHAMPTON, Mass.--The Smith College volleyball team opened the 2012 season with a tough 3-2 (24-26, 15-25, 25-17, 25-21, 8-15) loss to Western New England University on Tuesday night.  Smith falls to 0-1 with the loss, while Western New England extends their season opening win streak to three matches.

Rosa Drummond (Rye, N.H./Portsmouth) totalled 21 kills with a pair of service aces and three blocks while hitting .277 for tha match, while Blair Bell (Upper Montclair, N.J./Montclair Kimberly) added 10 kills, a service ace, and a block.  Bethany Ashworth (North Falmouth, Mass./Bourne) had 17 assists, while Mei-Li Smith (Cypress, Calif./Cypress) had 17 digs in her collegiate debut and Sonia Brown (Amherst, Mass./Amherst) added 15 digs.

Smith led almost the entirety of the first set, opened up a 20-15 advantage on a kill by Paige Sarlandt (Cloverdale, Calif./Cloverdale), but Western New England closed the set by outscoring Smith 11-4 to take the set 26-24.  The Golden Bears took set two as well, opening up a 12-6 advantage early on.  Mei-Li Smith (Cypress, Calif./Cypress) brought Smith back to within two with a kill, but WNE finished out on a 13-7 run to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

Smith began the comeback in the third set, as back to back kills by Drummond gave the Pioneers a 10-5 advantage.  Western New England pulled within two when Smith served into the net, but Drummond put the Golden Bears away with another kill that forced Western New England into a timeout at 20-16.  WNE would only score one more point in the set as Smith won 25-17.

In the fourth set, Smith came from behind agian, turning an 8-3 deficit into a 17-13 lead on Kristi Hammond (Yona, Guam/St. Johns School)'s kill and never let WNE within three to take the set 25-21.  The Golden Bears pulled away in the fifth set.  With the score tied at two, WNE rattled off four straight points, and Smith never got closer than five the rest of the way.

Maureen Pollet led Western New England with 17 kills, while Devyn Frank added 12 and Kasey Cameron had 13.  Heather Mears racked up 47 assists, and Grace Kucharski had 22 digs. 

Smith begins a set of games on the road by traveling to Elms College for a noon matchup on September 8.  Western New England will host the Western New England Invitational on September 7-8.