For Immediate Release
September 14, 2010
Wellesley Sports Information
Wellesley Sweeps Smith in NEWMAC Opener
WELLESLEY, Mass. – With a strong defensive performance from Vivian Hu (Bellaire, TX) and a solid .258 team hitting percentage, Wellesley volleyball held off Smith College for a 3-0 win to open its conference season on Tuesday evening at Wellesley College. The win lifts the Blue to 2-2 for the season, 1-0 in NEWMAC play. Smith falls to 1-3 overall, 0-1 in the conference.
The visiting Pioneers opened an early lead in set one and held the advantage until the Blue tied the score at 16-16 and edged away for a 25-19 win. Wellesley carried the momentum into game two, taking a 5-0 lead and stretching it to 17-11 before taking a 2-0 edge with a 25-16 win. In set three, the two teams traded sideouts until the Blue inched away for 12-10 advantage. The Pioneers battled back, pulling to within one at 19-18. Wellesley rallied with three straight points and held off a last-second charge to secure the sweep with a 25-22 win on a kill from Jessica Mullen (Wilmington, DE).
First-year middle hitter Rosa Drummond (Rye, NH) led the visitors at the net with eight kills. Libero Bethany Ashworth (Monument, MA) recorded 15 digs for the Pioneers, while Lauren Martinez (Phoenix, AZ) and Courtney Faria (Pocasset, MA) tallied 12 and 11 assists each in the loss.
Hu notched 24 digs to lead the Blue in the backcourt. Elizabeth Campbell (Solona Beach, CA) tallied 15 kills, while Isabel Custodio (Powell, OH) registered 11 kills and 22 assists for her first double-double of the season. Amanda Duritsch (Troy, OH) and Julia Adams (South Pasadena, CA) added six and five kills, respectively, while Mullen, Taylor King (Walnut Creek, CA) and Kaitlin Bradshaw (Wexford, PA) chipped three a piece with only one error among them.
Both teams return to action on Saturday at 1:00pm, as Smith travels to Babson and Wellesley
travels to WPI, to continue conference play.