Newport, RI --- Lucy Swanson (West Yarmouth, MA) posted a double-double with a match-best 12 kills to go along with 11 digs as Salve Regina blanked visiting WPI 3-0 in a NEWMAC volleyball match on Friday evening.  The hosts took the match by set scores of 25-18, 25-17, 25-19.
 
The victory improves the Seahawks to 6-11 on the season and 3-2 in conference play while WPI slips to 5-11 overall and 0-5 in NEWMAC action.
 
Salve Regina never trailed in the opening set and led by seven points on three occasions, including the final margin at 25-18.   The Seahawks had four different players amass multiple kills in the opening game while WPI ran its offense through Fiona Gillis (Manchester, NH) who totaled the first of the Engineers eight kills in the set.
 
The hosts accounted for the first three points on its way to a wire-to-wire victory in the middle set.  The Seahawks jumped out to a 14-5 advantage and after WPI rattled off four straight points, the last three of which off the serve of Alana Harris (Lowell, MA), the Crimson and Gray never got closer than five points the rest of the set.
 
The Engineers held its only lead of the match in the opening moments of the third set, holding a 1-0 and 2-1 edge as well as be knotting at 5-5 for its latest tie of the night before Salve Regina rattled off six straight points to seize control.   WPI used a 5-0 spurt late to get within two points to 20-18 but the hosts would claim five of the match's last six points to secure the triumph.
 
Swanton hit .267 on the night with just four errors on 30 attempts while Lauren Hoyle (Albany, NY) and Lauren Shurling (Hudson, MA) each contributed eight kills.  Setter Siena DeCicco (Severna Park, MD) doled out a match-best 30 assists for the Seahawks and Lily Dobbins (Richmond, KY) and Madelyn Homer (North Easton, MA) both joined Swanton in double digit digs with 14 and 11 respectively.
 
Gillis topped the Engineers with eight kills.  The junior did not commit a hitting error in 30 tries on her way to hitting at a .333 clip on the night.  Anastasia Kelnik (Fair Lawn, NJ) totaled six kills, Preslie Jerebker (Denver, CO) handed out nine assists, Victoria Escuer (Caracas, Venezuela) was credited with 13 digs and Lily Eldridge (Danvers, MA) registered six digs and led all players with a match-best five service aces. Zeala VanDamme (San Diego, CA) and Audrey Stroupe (Leesburg, VA) both finished with three kills apiece.
 
Both teams return to the court Tuesday with 6pm NEWMAC matches.  WPI entertains Babson inside Harrington Auditorium while the Seahawks venture to Northampton to square off with Smith.