11/04/2008
NEWMAC Tournament: Volleyball Concludes Season with 3-0 Loss at Springfield

Springfield, Mass.  November 4, 2008  The Clark University women's volleyball team concluded its season with a three-game loss to Springfield College in a quarterfinal matchup in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament on Tuesday night.

The Pride, who entered the tournament as the top seed, won by the game scores of 25-13, 25-11, 25-14.

Powered by the duo of Heather Lively and Sarah Lang-Rodean, the Pride cruised to the victory.

Springfield has now won 15 matches in a row and improve to 29-4. Clark's season comes to a close with an 11-14 mark.

In the opening game, the home squad jumped out to a 12-4 lead, fueled by a pair of aces from Meaghan Hart. Springfield notched 14 kills in the opening game, hitting .346 as a team. Clark was limited to just five kills, three coming from Parker Edmonds.

The Pride continued to set the tone in the second game as it rattled off the first nine points of the game to grab a commanding 9-0 lead. The Cougars battled back, cutting it to seven at 16-9, but Springfield was too strong down the stretch. The home squad ended the game on a 5-0 run, with Kelsea Hellyar serving a pair of aces to guide the Pride.

In the final game, both teams traded points to start the frame before Amira Tranchell gave Clark the lead at 6-5. From that point on, Springfield won the next five points, as service aces proved to be the difference in the game. Aylene Ilkson provided a pair for Springfield as it claimed an 11-6 lead, forcing a Clark timeout. Much was the same the rest of the way, as Springfield closed out the match on a 6-0 run.

Lang-Rodean registered 12 kills on 13 attempts for a .923 hitting percentage. Lively finished with a match-high 18 kills in just three games. Directing the offense was Hellyar, who handed out 36 assists in the win. Ilkson led the defense charge with 14 digs and three aces, while Heidi Yohe added 10 digs of her own.

For the Cougars, Edmonds had an impressive evening as she recorded a team-best seven kills, hitting .700 for the match. Emily Visone added six digs, while Kortney Kelley finished with five digs in the loss.

The Pride return to action on Friday evening as it serves as hosts for the semifinals and finals of the NEWMAC Tournament. The Pride, who awaits to see who it will take on, will play at 5:00 on Friday night.