For Immediate Release
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Wellesley Sports Information
Wellesley Outlasts Smith, 3-1
Wellesley, Mass. -- In a defensive battle that featured 185 digs, Wellesley defeated Smith 3-1 (30-26, 30-19, 28-30, 30-12). The win lifts the Blue to 7-1 in NEWMAC competition, 23-6 overall. Smith falls to 4-4 in conference play, 16-13 overall.
Game one was a see-saw affair, with both teams racking up digs as they traded points. Wellesley broke away for good with a three-point run to take a 24-19 lead, and held on for a 30-26 win. The second set was tight as well, with Smith holding a slim 14-13 edge halfway through the game. Wellesley used strong serving from Murielle Dawdy (Larkspur, CA) and Emily Peters (Temescal Valley, CA) to win 13 of the next 15 points and take the game 30-19.
Smith settled down in game three, using disciplined defense and solid transition hitting to stop Wellesley's momentum. With Wellesley holding a slim 26-24 lead, Smith scored three consecutive points to take the lead for good, holding on for a 30-28 win. Wellesley came out firing in the fourth game, jumping out to a 9-0 lead. The Blue used aggressive serving to keep the Pioneers off-balance throughout the game, cruising to a 30-12 win.
Smith's tenacious defense was anchored by libero Brianne Connizzo (Demarest, NJ) and Catherine Shafer (Red Bluff, CA), with 27 and 25 digs, respectively. Shafer also led the Pioneers at the net with 12 kills, followed closely by Courtney Parker (Berlin, MD) with 11. Middle hitter Bethany Weiss (Windham, NH) added eight kills, while Stephanie Bleyendaal (Wellesley, MA) chipped in two kills and four blocks. Mikal Minarich (Hobart, IN) and Lauren Martinez (Phoenix, AZ) split the setting duties, tallying 18 and 12 assists in the loss.
Wellesley's defense was sparked by Peters, who led all players with 32 digs, while Alice Cummings (Talahassee, FL) added 15. Cummings led the Blue attack with 11 kills, while Dawdy tallied nine kills and Jessica Duff (Milton, Abingdon, UK) and Lauren Rasmussen (Bonita, CA) added seven a piece. Billie Briones (Sonoma, CA) and Victoria Peng (Diamond Bar, CA) shared the setting assignment, distributing 21 and 19 assists, respectively.
Smith returns to action on Saturday, when they host Wheaton for a 1:00 match. Wellesley takes the court on Saturday at 1:00 as well, hosting Coast Guard in a key NEWMAC match-up.
Women's Volleyball: Wellesley 3, Smith 1
| Wellesley | 30 | 30 | 28 | 30 | |
| Smith | 26 | 19 | 30 | 12 |