MEN’S VOLLEYBALL FALLS TO NO. 8 SPRINGFIELD IN THREE SETS

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - Led by a career-high 15 kills from Greg Woods (Middletown, Conn.), the Springfield College men's volleyball team cruised past Emmanuel College in straight sets on Saturday night in Blake Arena.  Set scores were 25-19, 25-13, 25-20.  The loss dropped the visiting Saints to 3-5 on the season.  Springfield, which was ranked 8th in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Associaton (AVCA) Division III National Coaches Poll, improved to 10-5 overall.

Woods posted 15 kills at a .583 clip to power the Springfield offense, which hit .373 on the night.  Ricardo Padilla Ayala (San Juan, Puerto Rico) registered seven kills, five digs, and three aces, and Luis Garcia Rubio (Bayamon, Puerto Rico) and Keaton Pieper (Dallas, Texas) combined for 35 assists.  Matthew Peretto (Vallejo, Calif.) was credited with a match-high 11 digs in the win.

Emmanuel hit -.025 for the match, with junior middle Julian Hess (Santa Monica, Calif.) totaling a team-best four kills.  Senior setter Sean Baxley (Saint James, N.Y.) handed out 20 assists and libero Kevin Gallegos (Los Angeles, Calif.) posted six digs.

With the score tied at four early on in the first set, Springfield rattled off a 5-1 burst to force Emmanuel into a timeout following a kill from Woods.   Springfield pushed its lead to 17-10 on a Saints hitting error, but Emmanuel fought their way back to within three with a 5-1 push of their own.  Three-straight points by the Pride, including an ace by Tucker Evans (Midlothian, Va.), put the Pride back in control and Springfield sealed the 25-19 first set win with a huge block by Pieper and Joseth Irizarry Feliciano (Adjuntas, Puerto Rico) on an Emmanuel backrow attack.  Woods hammered home seven kills in the stanza to pace the offense, while Irizarry Feliciano posted a trio of blocks.

The Pride's offense found its rhythm in the second set, hitting at a. 458 clip as it accounted for 11 kills on 24 errorless attempts.  Springfield seized a 10-4 advantage after Woods and Jason Mascoe (Uniondale, N.Y.) combined for a thunderous block, forcing the Saints into a timeout.  The Pride continued to be in control, maintaining a six-point lead until Padilla Ayala took over the set, producing a sideout kill and then heating up from the end line to put the Pride ahead 23-11.  Irizarry Feliciano once again ended the set with a block, this time teamming up with Jason Weedon (North Tustin, Calif.) as the Pride won 25-13.

In the third, the Pride racked up 16 kills on a .520 hitting percentage as five different players had at least two kills. In a set that featured eight ties and four lead changes, Springfield broke open a nine-all tie with a three-point run.  The visitors would get as close as 13-11, but a 5-0 surge put Springfield back in command with an 18-11 advantage.  The Saints made things interesting down the stretch, climbing within 22-20, after its third-straight kill.  Out of a timeout, Irizarry Feliciano cracked a kill and consecutive Saints' hitting errors ended the match

The Pride will now prep for a showdown with in-state foe MIT on Tuesday at 6:00 PM.  Emmanuel will host Emerson College on Tuesday in a GNAC battle at 8:00 PM.

- Release Courtesy of Springfield College Sports Information