Women’s Volleyball Opens Season at Springfield College
Emma Nihill led the Owls with eight kills as Westfield fell to Springfield in the 2025 season opener.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
|
|
21 | 12 | 11 | 0 |
Team Stats
Springfield
| Game Statistics | Westfield St. | Springfield |
|---|---|---|
| Hitting % | 0.0 | 0.261 |
| Blocks | 1 | 9 |
| Digs | 39 | 45 |
| Aces | 4 | 12 |
WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State senior Emma Nihill (Chandler, Ariz.) recorded a team-high eight kills, but the Owls dropped a three-set match against Springfield College (25-21, 25-12, 25-11) in the Dearing Classic and season opener from Springfield, Mass. on Friday afternoon.
Hanna Nihill (Chandler, Ariz.) added six kills while Lauren Carnes (Westfield, Mass.) totaled five kills for the Owls, which are playing the first of three matches from Springfield College over the weekend. Morgan Dority (Walpole, Mass.) compiled 16 assists and first-year Zurielys Rivera (Caguas, Puerto Rico) made an impact in her first collegiate match with a team-leading 11 digs.
Alexa Bonato (Orange, Conn.) led all players with nine kills for the Pride. Six Springfield players registered multiple kills to pile up 35 kills on the night. Tori Colosimo (Fairport, N.Y.) notched 27 assists and Emily Keaveney (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) added 12 digs.
With the first set tied at ten, the Owls went on a six-point run on the service game of Carnes with a pair of kills from H. Nihill capped by an ace from Carnes to open up a 16-10 advantage. Springfield responded with five straight points to pull within one before a kill from E. Nihill then an ace from Erica Majka (Agawam, Mass.) pushed the Owls lead back to three points (18-15).
The Pride then put the set away by tallying nine of the next ten points to move to set point. A kill from Jodi Saelua (Mililani, Hawaii) secured the set one victory in what was and back and forth opening frame.
Springfield used a sizzling 0.545 hitting percentage to distance themselves in set number two, then carried momentum into the third set after logging ten of the first 14 points of set three. The Owls got within four points midway through the third set but would not get any closer for the remainder of the match.
Westfield State (0-1) will return to Springfield College for two matches tomorrow as part of the Dearing Classic beginning at 10:30 A.M. against Keene State followed by a 1:00 P.M. game against Rivier.