BY CAITLIN LYNCH ’20
With Saturday’s 3-0 victory over Westfield and 3-1 loss to Daniel Webster as well as Tuesday’s 3-1 loss to Smith, Mount Holyoke Volleyball moves to 5-15 overall and 0-9 in the NEWMAC rankings.
The first game of Saturday’s tri-match was Lyons vs. Westfield Owls. The teams were neck and neck until middle hitter Joy Maran ’19 set the momentum for the Lyons to win the first set with a kill. The second set was a steal for Mount Holyoke, with a score of 25-14, and the Lyons started the third set strong with a 24-10 lead. Two kills by the Owls began to close the gap, but Maran earned the game-deciding kill and led the Lyons to victory. With 12 kills and five block assists, middle hitter Sasha Simine ’20 also made huge contributions to this game.
After Daniel Webster defeated Westfield 3-0, the Lyons took on the Eagles. The first two sets went to the Eagles 25-23 and 25-17, respectively, but Mount Holyoke regained its momentum in the third set: a kill by Maran and a service error from Daniel Webster closed the set at 25-21. The fourth set included back-and-forth play, but ultimately the Eagles took the win. Maran ended with 15 kills and 16 digs, and middle hitter Sarah Caggiano ’19 had seven kills and two block assists.
On Tuesday, the Lyons took on the Smith College Pioneers at home. A competitive first set ended in a victory for Smith, with a score of 25-19. The second set started out strong for the Lyons with five consecutive points, but Smith found its way back and went on to take a 9-5 lead. The Lyons redeemed themselves with four straight service aces from out- side hitter Jamesa Allen ’19 and a service error from the Pioneers, ending the second set 25-18 in favor of the Lyons. Mount Holyoke started strong in the third set with a 9-2 lead, but Smith closed the gap quickly. Play was neck and neck, with a tied score at 16-16 before two Smith kills and a Mount Holyoke attack error gave the set to the Pioneers at 25-20. Smith held the lead for the majority of the final set, although two back-to-back kills from Caggiano tied the set at 24-all as things began to look more promising for the Lyons. Ultimately, an attack error from the Lyons ended the set at 26-24 in favor of the Pioneers.
Volleyball will play its last game of the season Saturday at 1, at home vs. WPI.