Release Courtesy of Smith Sports Information
Northampton, Mass. - Smith (2-4, 1-2 in NEWMAC)
had one of its best performances of the season in knocking off the
visiting Clark Cougars (2-5, 1-2 in NEWMAC) 3-0 in a NEWMAC
volleyball matchup on Tuesday evening at Ainsworth Gymnasium.
In the opening game, the Pioneers led by a sizeable amount for most
of the time, surging ahead by as much as seven. Clark began to
rally late in the game behind the strong serving of Nichole Lopez (Alameda, Calif.), pulling to within three late in
the set. However, the Pioneers kept their opponents guessing all
the way to the end, and junior setter Lauren Martinez ended the
game with a dump over the net that froze the Cougar defense.
The second set told much the same story, though the Pioneers had to
come from behind to win this one. Clark led for the first time in
the match at 13-12 and extended their lead to 18-12 before Smith
battled back. After a smattering of aces from Bethany Weiss and
Shakwana Etienne, Smith put the game away with a huge kill from
Weiss.
The final set was the most dominant of the three for Smith, as they
started the game with the lead and did not relent until they had
secured an impressive 25-17 victory.
Statistical leaders for Clark were freshman Toni Marie
Illuzzi (Manorville, N.Y.) with 10 kills, Lopez with 16
assists and Amanda Harris (San Diego, Calif.) with
11 digs.
The Cougars get back in action on Thursday when they visit Anna
Maria for a 7 p.m. start.
