Worcester, Mass. – Clark University opened up the NEWMAC portion of its regular season schedule with a 3-0 win over Smith College on Tuesday evening at the Kneller Athletic Center.

Game Information
Score: Clark 3, Smith 0 (25-16, 25-19, 25-14)
Records: Clark 7-3, 1-0 NEWMAC, Smith 2-5, 0-1 NEWMAC
Location: Kneller Athletic Center, Worcester, Mass.

How It Happened:
The Cougars got off to somewhat of a slow start in the first set but managed to pull away from the Pioneers after turning an 8-8 score into a 21-13 advantage following a Courtney Pharr (Seattle, Wash.) kill.

Clark went on to win the opening set 25-16 and then saw Smith challenge in the second set getting as close as four points late in the frame after Kimani Freeman (Newark, N.J.) put down one of her team-high seven kills. The Scarlet and White did close out the second set, however, capped by a Savannah Sanford (San Anselmo, Calif.) service ace.

The third set was all Clark as they raced out to a 5-0 lead and they then found themselves ahead 21-13 after an Ana Mercado (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) kill.

Ahead 23-14, the Cougars wrapped up the match with a service ace from Mercado and the match-sealing kill from Marina Ramos (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico).

Two Stars:
Hannah Fox (Dracut, Mass.) had a strong night for the Cougars, turning in seven kills and three block assists and a block solo – her third match already this year with seven or more kills.

Rachel Webb (Celina, Texas) dished out 27 assists in the victory, giving her the eighth match this season in which she has handed out 20 or more assists.

Coach Speak:
"Wins in the NEWMAC are tough to get," said Clark head coach Mickey Cahoon. "We played with a lot of intensity and it was nice to start conference play with a victory."

Up Next:
The Cougars are back in action on Saturday when they visit Coast Guard for a tri-match with the host Bears and Endicott.