NORTHAMPTON, Mass. - First-year middle blocker Iris Afantchao (Windsor, Conn./Windsor) turned in her best performance as a collegiate athlete in the Pioneers' 3-0 (25-11, 25-23, 25-20)  loss to WPI Thursday evening in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) volleyball action.

With the win, the Engineers improve to 15-4 overall and 4-3 in conference while Smith drops to 3-15 and 0-7 in the NEWMAC. 

For WPI, outside hitters Casey Hunt and Maddy Werth each posted eight kills. Setters Shay Feeley and Azita Bakhtyari ran the offense, combining for 30 assists, while junior libero Kelly Rathje led the defensive effort with 14 digs. Freshman middle hitter Sandra Duarte finished with seven blocks and two aces.

Afantchao tallied career-highs with her five kills and five blocks. Junior outside hitter Elizabeth Peay (Lebanon, Conn./Lyman Memorial) hammered down eight kills and added two aces. Sophomore setter Maca Rojas (Santiago, Chile/Liceo No. 1 Javiera Carrera) totaled 18 assists, while senior libero Julie Voorhes (Ramona, Calif./Ramona) added 17 digs. First year Kimani Freeman (Newark, N.J./Montclair Kimberly Academy) produced five kills and two aces.

The Engineers came out firing in the opening set, hitting .500 with 14 kills and only two errors. 

Smith played a much more competitive second set as strong defense contained the Engineers to a .100 hitting percentage. After WPI took an 8-5 advantage, kills by Xela Miller (Grenada Hills, Calif./James Monroe), Rojas and Freeman boosted the Pioneers to take a 14-9 lead, forcing an Enginners timeout. With the second set even at 22-22, back-to-back kills from Melissa Daigle and Brooke Klepper gave WPI enough momentum to close out the set. 

An 18-8 gap was too large for the Pioneers to close in the third as WPI went on to complete the sweep.

Smith will have over a week off to prepare for the Litte East/NEWMAC Challenge on Saturday, October 15th hosted by Keene State.