Seahawks triumph over Pioneers in five sets

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. - Salve Regina University women's volleyball ran its win streak to eight games with its first five-set match of the season, a 3-2 (19-25, 25-20, 22-25, 25-21, 15-13) victory at Smith College on Thursday night. The visitors were led by double-doubles from Jennifer Duggan, who had 16 kills and 23 digs, and Clare Adams, who had 13 kills, 22 digs, a block, and a service ace.  Taylor Violet had 48 assists for Salve Regina, and Diana Tauro had 26 digs.

Paige Sarlandt recorded a career high 24 kills as the Smith College volleyball team fell in five sets to Salve Regina University in non-conference volleyball action on Thursday evening.  The Pioneers are now 10-5, while the Seahawks improve to 17-1.

Sarlandt, who hit .438 for the evening, added a service ace, two solo blocks, and a trio of block assists to her stat line.  Rosa Drummond had 17 kills and nine digs, while Kristi Hammond and Mei-Li Smith each had 22 digs, Bethany Ashworth 20 digs and 47 assists, Julie Voorhes 19 digs, and Sonia Brown 15 digs.  

In the first set, Smith ran out to a quick 4-1 lead on a pair of Salve Regina attack errors, and watched the lead soar to 16-9 on Mei-Li Smith's service ace.  A kill from Drummond forced Salve into a timeout at 19-10, and though the Seahawks got within five on a Smith attacking error, Drummond finished off the set with a kill.

Smith again was out to an early lead in set two, going up 8-2 on two kills from Drummond, but the Seahawks stayed in the game as Smith made three attacking errors, and a kill from Adams brought Salve to within 10-8.  Sarlandt's kill gave Smith a 16-12 advantage, but two kills from Adams and a service ace from Tauro tied the set at 17, and Salve Regina finished the set on an 8-4 run to tie the score.

It was the Seahawks who were up early in the third set, using a kill from Adams to go up 8-3, but Smith would score 10 of the next 15 points, culminating in a service ace from Brown to knot the score at 13.  Salve returned the lead to three on a kill by Emily Lipinski that made it 21-18, only to see Smith close out the set behind the serving of Sarlandt, who dished out a service ace as part of a 7-1 run that ended the third set.

The Pioneers started slowly in the fourth set as well, as Adams' kill forced Smith into a timeout, and the Seahawks went up by as many as five before Smith would rally, pulling to within 24-21 before Salve sent the game to a deciding fifth set.

That final set was a back-and-forth affair, with neither team going up by more than two throughout the set.   Smith turned a 6-5 deficit into an 8-6 lead on the strength of a service ace from Kristi Hammond and a block by the tandem of Sarlandt and Brown, only to see Salve Regina reel off three straight points, two of which were kills by Duggan.  Smith led 11-9 off a Salve attacking error, but the Seahawks scored the next five points, including two kills and a service ace by Duggan for a 14-11 lead.  Smith got one point back on a kill from Drummond, but served the ball into the net on the final play of the match.

Smith will be off until October 12, when the Pioneers play at the Seven Sisters Championship at Mount Holyoke College.  Salve Regina will host Endicott in a Commonwealth Coast Conference matchup on October 9 at 7 p.m.