NORTHAMPTON, Mass. – Plymouth State University bounced back from a 3-0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-19) loss at the hands of regionally-ranked Babson College to top Smith College, 3-0 (27-25, 25-23, 25-22), in a non-conference women's volleyball tri-match at Ainsworth Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.
 
Junior Emilee Flanagan (Milton, N.H.) smashed a team-high 11 kills in the win over Smith, with the Panthers' top four hitters – Flanagan, junior Nora Ryan (Groton, Conn.) and freshmen Lilli Stogner (Weare, N.H.) and Lindsey Sanderson (Gilford, N.H.) – all hitting better than .260 to help PSU to wins in three tightly contested sets.
 
Earlier in the day the Panthers, ranked seventh in Region I, dropped a straight sets decision to Babson, ranked third in Region II. The Beavers used a late run to take the first set and Babson took control of the second with an early surge. The teams traded strings of points in the third set with Babson gaining a 20-16 advantage and Plymouth State was unable to get any closer.
 
The Panthers wrap up the regular season with an incredible 23-2 mark, with both losses coming at the hands of other regionally ranked opponents. The top-seeded Panthers will face the winner of fourth-seeded Western Connecticut St. and fifth-seeded Eastern Connecticut St. in the semifinals of the Little East Conference (LEC) Tournament at Foley Gymnasium on Thursday (Nov. 4) at 6:00 p.m.
 
Babson, which also topped Smith, ends the day at 22-6, while Smith goes to 21-10.
 
The Basics:

• Plymouth State 0, Babson 3
• Plymouth State 3, Smith 0
  • Plymouth State (23-2)
  • Babson (22-6)
  • Smith (21-10)

How it Happened (Babson):

• Babson used a 6-0 spurt to grab a 7-3 lead early in the opening set and the Beavers would stay in front the rest of the way. Stogner notched a pair of kills as the Panthers cut the deficit to 16-13 midway through the set, but Babson pulled away late for a 25-18 win.
• PSU trailed by just one, 6-5, early on, but the Beavers scored 11-of-13 points to build a 17-7 advantage and the Panthers could not recover.
• Babson scored five straight to break a 6-6 tie, but the Panthers clawed back on an ace from freshman Imalay Rodriguez Martinez (Juncos, Puerto Rico) and a string of Beavers' errors to pull within one, 11-10. Babson responded with a 6-0 run, though, and PSU couldn't get closer than five points the rest of the way.

By the Numbers (Babson):

• Flanagan and Stogner each notched seven kills, with Stogner hitting .278 and Flanagan chipping in with three blocks.
• Senior Alexa Price (Moultonborough, N.H.) posted 21 assists, two aces and four digs.
• Junior Marissa Plaza (Folsom, Calif.) paced the defense with seven digs.
• The Panthers are winless in five head-to-head matchups with Babson.

 
How it Happened (Smith):

• In a back-and-forth match PSU used five-straight points to take a 13-10 lead thanks to kills from Ryan, Stogner and Price. Smith rallied to tie the game at 17-17 and neither team was able to grab more than a two-point advantage the rest of the way. The Pioneers went up, 24-23, but Flanagan's kill tied the set and a winner from senior Maria Wimpey (Concord, N.H.) gave PSU set point. Smith tied it on a kill, but Flanagan and Sanderson recorded back-to-back kills for the 27-25 win.
• Wimpey's kill sparked a 7-1 spurt as Plymouth State built a 13-9 lead in set two. Smith rallied to grab an 18-16 lead, but the Panthers came right back as Flanagan notched two kills and a block. With the score tied at 23-23, a Smith error and Price's ace wrapped up a 25-23 victory.
• A Pioneers' service error and kills from Stogner and Ryan put PSU up, 21-19, in a nip-and-tuck third set. Smith got to within one, but Ryan and sophomore Elsa MacNeil (Acton, Mass.) had consecutive kills and the Panthers would hold on for the 25-22 win.

By the Numbers (Smith):

• Flanagan led the Panthers with 11 kills and two blocks, while Ryan added nine kills and five blocks.
• Price handed out 32 assists to go with four aces, two kills and six digs.
• Plaza led all players with 17 digs, while chipping in a pair of aces.
• Plymouth State improves to 10-5 all-time against the Pioneers, winning nine of the last 11 meetings.

 
 Up Next:

• Plymouth State will host an LEC semifinal match on Thursday (Nov. 4). The top-seeded Panthers will face the winner of fourth-seeded WestConn and fifth-seeded Eastern Connecticut. PSU beat both teams in five sets during the regular season, rallying from an 0-2 deficit to beat WestConn and coming back from down 1-2 to beat the Warriors.