October 11, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Rhemi Abrams-Fuller
(612) 730-1220
Smith Battles at Seven Sisters Tournament
Northampton, MA: The Smith Pioneers volleyball team had an impressive weekend. Despite winning only 1 match, they played hard against each of their 3 opponents.
Smith started off strong as they defeated Elms College in 3 straight sets (25-12, 25-12, 25-14). Senior Bethany Weiss (Windham, NH) had a stellar performance with 10 kills, 6 digs, and 4 blocks. Brianne Connizzo (Demarest, NJ) and Rachel Lackert (Cold Spring Harbor, NY) added 6 digs apiece in anchoring Smith's terrific defensive efforts during the contest.
In their second match on Saturday, Smith was pitted against the eventual tournament champion Vassar College. Though the Pioneers weren't able to salvage a win (set scores were 16-25, 20-25, and 18-25), they played tough all the way to the last point. All-Tournament selection Mikal Minarich (Nobart, IN) tallied 7 kills and 10 digs in the match and gave the Pioneers that extra push in the times it was needed most.
Smith's finest performance was arguably their final tournament match against Bryn Mawr. Though the Pioneers were eventually edged by the Owls 3 sets to 1, the team played outstanding. The match was highlighted by a 3rd set 6 point comeback in which the Pioneers erased a 4 point deficit and went on to win the game 26-24. Laurel Belton (San Bernadino, CA) paced the team with 15 kills and 12 digs.
Smith had 2 of its players make the Seven Sisters All-Tournament Team. #1 Lauren Martinez (Phoenix, AZ) had 43 assists and 19 digs this weekend. Her teammate, #14 Mikal Minarich, had 22 kills, 27 digs, and 4 service aces.
Day 2 Set Scores
1 2 3 4
Smith 23 19 26 22
Bryn Mawr 25 25 24 25
Smith Tournament Match Record: 1-2
