BABSON PARK, MASS. - The Smith College volleyball team defeated New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) opponent Babson College, 3-1, on Saturday afternoon.  The scores in favor of the Pioneers were 25-23, 25-17, 20-25, 30-28. 

Smith improves to 20-10 and 5-5 in conference action while the Beavers drop 19-7, 8-2. 

Highlights

• The first set was extremely close as neither team held more than a four-point advantage in the entire round
• The Pioneers ultimately held off the Beavers claiming the first set 25-23
• Smith jumped out to a 7-4 lead which they were able to maintain for the entire set hitting .132 to hold a 2-0 edge
• Babson's set hitting percentage of .400 propelled them to a 14-13 advantage which they preserved for the rest of the set finishing with a 25-20 lead
• The final frame was a long battle as the Beavers claimed an early 6-2 lead
• The Pioneers responded posting a 4-0 run to tie with Babson at 6-6
• Both teams exchanged points in back-and-forth play until the Beavers anticipated they were at set point at 24-22
• Smith recorded back-to-back points to tie Babson at 24-24 and continued to tie with the Beavers at every point until they persevered winning the final set 30-28 and claiming the 3-1 victory
• Abby Hunt (Mandeville, La./Fontainebleau) led the Pioneers offense by recording a match-high 12 kills 
• Sophia Padilla (Fontana, Calif./Saint Lucy's Priory) totaled 40 assists and 13 digs while Ari Cross (Wauwatosa, Wis./Rufus King) posted 13 digs
• Miranda Oaks (San Francisco, Calif./San Francisco University) took control of the Smith defense notching a match-high five blocks
• The Pioneers hit .176 for the match

  
Up Next
Smith has clinched the No. 5 seed with the win and will travel to Boston to face fourth-seeded Emerson Tuesday, November 1 at 7:00pm. 

About Smith Athletics: Smith College is a NCAA Division III member of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference that sponsors 11 intercollegiate sports. For more information log on to smithpioneers.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.