THE BASICS 

Score: Smith 3, Emerson 0

Records: Emerson Lions (9-6, 3-4 NEWMAC) ; Smith Pioneers (16-6, 4-3 NEWMAC)

Location: Northampton, Mass. (Ainsworth Gymnasium) 

Date: October 12, 2021

The Lead: Freshman Amelia Combs led the Emerson women's volleyball team with a match-best 13 kills, but the Lions were upended in straight sets to Smith on Tuesday night in NEWMAC volleyball action. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

EMERSON

Combs: 13 kills
Rachel Scott: 13 assists
Jillian Kay & Brooke Maynez: one block assist 

SMITH

Olivia Smith: 10 kills
Nathalie Pak: 12 assists
Sarah Dankovich: four aces
Ava Zollinger: five blocks (one solo, four assists)

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• Smith led by as much as eight through the midway point of the first frame, but Emerson fought back with a 7-1 streak where Combs registered five kills and got the Lions within a pair at 19-17. Emerson was able to gain four more points back, but Smith closed the set with the 25-21 win. 
• Four ties occurred to being the second frame before Smith was able to start breaking away from Emerson and upped their edge to four on back-to-back swings from Kinsey Cronin.
• After seeing their deficit up to six, Emerson tallied three points on a a pair of kills and ace to put the score at 19-16. Smith answered with their own three-point run to extend their lead back up to six (22-16). Costly Emerson attack errors gave Smith the second set win at 25-20. 
• Smith banged out an 8-1 in a fast start to the third set only to see Emerson rattle off a lengthy run of their own. Started with a Pioneer service mishap, the Lions pieced together the set's next five of six points to inch within three (9-6). 
• After Emerson closed the gap to three, Smith took off and did not look back as they put up a 6-0 run of their own to distance themselves at 15-9. 
• A kill from Zollinger put the visitors in a double-figure deficit at 19-9 as the Lions were able to get six more points before the Pioneers locked up the sweep with the 25-15 win. 

UP NEXT 

• Emerson steps out of conference play on Thursday, October 14th when they travel to Simmons at 7:00 p.m.