BABSON PARK, Mass.—The trio of seniors Lauren MacDonald (Westwood, Mass.) and Martina Jankovic Chin (Zapresic, Croatia) and junior Lulu McShane (Glencoe, Ill.) combined for 45 kills to help second-seeded Babson College defeat seventh-seeded Clark University in four sets (25-21, 20-25, 25-19, 25-22) in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament quarterfinal on Tuesday night inside Staake Gymnasium.

With the win, Babson (20-7) advances to the conference semifinals for the eighth consecutive season. Clark sees its year come to a close at 12-16.

MacDonald and Jankovic Chin both finished with 16 kills and five blocks, McShane added 13 kills and gradate student Izzy Seebold (Concord, N.C.) dished out 55 assists to go along with 10 digs and four blocks to lead the Beavers. First-year Roz Cabuena (Kailua, Hawaii) tied for match-high honors with 21 digs, while first-year Sophia Shaw (Novato, Calif.) added 13 digs and two service aces.

Junior Victoria Pastor (Bayamon, Puerto Rico) recorded 10 kills and four blocks, senior Cameron Gill (Shrewsbury, Mass.) added eight kills and four blocks, and both senior Claudia Rivera (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) and Sofia Scherrer del Llano (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) registered six kills apiece to pace the Cougars. Sophomore Yvanna Torres (San Juan, Puerto Rico) and Margarita Perez-Maza (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) combined for 29 assists, while Marimo Oka (Fukuoka, Japan) had 21 assists in the loss.

The opening set featured 11 ties and seven lead changes before the Green and White used a late run to pull away for a four-point victory. MacDonald hit .700 in the stanza and recorded five of her eight kills in the span of seven points that helped the Beavers pull even at 20 after trailing 18-15. Jankovic Chin put the hosts in front for good and junior Erin Gray (Oakland, Calif.) put away kills on three of the next four points to push the lead to 24-21.

Babson led by as many as four midway through the second set before Clark evened the match with a 13-4 run that included two kills apiece by Pastor and Scherrer del Llano and a pair of blocks by junior Sheyenne Williams (Bloomfield, N.J.). The Beavers responded with a strong performance in the third, getting seven kills from Jankovic Chin and hitting .293 as a team to regain a one-set advantage. She had three kills and was involved in two blocks during a 10-5 run that pushed the lead to 15-9, while MacDonald and McShane produced back-to-back kills after the Cougars had pulled within three at 19-16.

Clark led throughout the early portion of game four and took its biggest advantage at 12-6 after a kill by Pastor. The Green and White chipped away and turned a 21-19 deficit into a two-point lead thanks to back-to-back kills by first-year Isabella Allen (Williamsville, N.Y.), another by McShane and a service ace by Seebold. McShane recorded her final kill of the night to make it 24-22 and the Cougars were unable to handle Shaw's serve on match point.

Babson returns to action on Saturday when it takes on Springfield in a NEWMAC Tournament semifinal at 3:30 p.m. in Cambridge, Mass.

MATCH NOTES
• The Beavers are now 18-20 all-time against Clark and have won 12 of their last 14 matches over the Cougars dating back to 2011.
• Babson is 17-0 this season when winning the opening set and 20-1 when recording more kills than its opponents.
• Seebold surpassed the 50-assist mark for the fourth time this season and moved into 11th place on the program's single-season list with 705 assists.
• The Beavers' 11 total blocks are a season high and their most since finishing with 13 in a five-set loss to Juniata in the second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
• Babson has won each of its 17 matches this fall when holding its opponents to a hitting percentage of .150 or below. Clark hit just .107 on Tuesday night.