By Owen Farley
Springfield College hosted Emerson College on Saturday afternoon at Blake Arena, where they swept the Lions, advancing their record to 9-4 on the season, and improving to 3-1 in the NEWMAC conference.
In the first set, it was very close as both programs were making exceptional efforts to get points. Neither team was able to really break apart from the other, with each set being close.
The first set had six ties and four lead changes all the way until Springfield was up 20-18 and that is when things turned around in the first set.
Tori Colosimo set up her teammates and got three assists in a row which further helped the Pride’s lead to 23-18. Riley Donahue followed it up with a service ace, before Emily Keaveney collected the set-winning kill to end the first set with a 25-19 win for Springfield.
In the first set, Springfield’s sophomore middle blocker Jodi Saelua had great energy, and led the team in kills with four on six attempts.
“I couldn’t have done it without my teammates,” Saelua said. “I think especially my other middles, they really helped me become that player that I am right now and continue becoming. I don’t want to take the credit for anything that I do so I thank my setters and the other middles.”
In the second set, the back and forth continued between both teams as there were five ties and three different lead changes. Springfield took a timeout down 9-6 early in the set, and rallied back to make it nine apiece, but Emerson responded with two more points to make it 11-9.
Out of the timeout, it wasn’t much on the scoreboard as both teams were rallying. Emerson was up 13-11 and this is where Springfield pounced, scoring eight straight points straight to take a 19-13 lead.
However, the Lions did not back down.
They got the score close, cutting the lead to 24-21 but it was a bit late as Colosimo set up a Donahue kill to end the set 25-21 and Springfield took the two sets to zero lead.
The entire Springfield team on the court and even on the sideline was just full of energy Saturday afternoon. They never got disappointed even if they went down and stayed very poised throughout every set.
“Over preseason we worked hard on playing together as a team — it doesn’t take one person on the court to win, it doesn’t take six,” Saelua said. “I takes all nineteen of us. We play together and stay together even if we’re all burnt out.”
In the third set it was all Springfield as they went on three different scoring runs to get the 25-15 set win and the sweep.
Springfield will host Smith College on Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 7:00 p.m. in Blake Arena, and will look to keep its win streak alive at three games in a row.