SPRINGFIELD, Mass.—Junior Natalie Billet (Commack, N.Y.) recorded five of her nine kills in the decisive fifth set as Springfield College rallied to defeat visiting Babson College, 3-2 (22-25, 25-18, 24-26, 25-18, 15-11), in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) women's volleyball action on Saturday afternoon inside Blake Arena. 

Babson had its three-match winning streak snapped to end the regular season at 23-5 overall and 9-2 in conference play, while Springfield improves to 24-3 overall and concludes NEWMAC play at 11-0. The Pride will be the top seed in next week's NEWMAC Tournament and the Beavers will be seeded second. 

Junior Lauren Gips (Winter Park, Fla.) had 12 kills and seven blocks, first-year Natalie Molendyk (Danville, Calif.) contributed 11 kills and six blocks and senior Erin Gray (Oakland, Calif.) added 10 kills to lead the Beavers. First-year Zoe Ackerman dished out 44 assists, while sophomore Roz Cabuena (Kailua, Hawaai) tied for match-high honors with 30 digs and three service aces. 

Sophomore Emily Keaveney (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) led all players with 17 kills, first-year Tori Colosimo (Fairport, N.Y.) handed out 48 assists and the duo of graduate student Ally Townsend (Hummelstown, Pa.) and first-year Olivia Nealy (Athens, Ga.) finished with 30 and 20 digs, respectively, to pace the Pride. 

The Green and White trailed by three early in the first before going on a 10-3 run that included back-to-back kills by senior Lulu McShane (Glencoe, Ill.) for a 12-8 lead. Gray responded with four kills in a five-point stretch for the Beavers after Springfield had pulled within one, and kills by McShane and sophomore Isabella Allen (Williamsville, N.Y.) along with a pair of service errors by the hosts helped close out the opening set. 

The Pride got seven kills from Keaveney and broke an 11-11 tie by scoring six of the next seven points for a commanding 17-12 lead on the way to taking the second set to even the match. Game three featured 12 ties and six lead changes before Babson used a late surge to go back in front. Consecutive kills by Molendyk and sophomore Sophia Shaw (Novato, Calif.) sparked a 6-2 run that put the visitors in front 23-20, but junior Morgan Stafford (Corbett, Ore.) served up a pair of aces to force a timeout with the frame deadlocked at 23. Gips gave the Beavers the lead with kill and combined with Ackerman on a block before serving up an ace up 25-24 to give the Green and White a 2-1 edge. 

The Beavers led 12-10 in the fourth before the Pride went on a 12-2 spurt to forge a 22-14 advantage on the way to forcing a decisive fifth set. The hosts raced out to a 7-2 lead in game five but Babson chipped away and pulled within two on a kill by first-year Nora Whitehurst (Decatur, Ga.) and tied it up at 11 on a kill by Molendyk. 

Billet put Springfield back in front 12-11 with a kill and combined with sophomore Maeve Voltz (Bay Shore, N.Y.) on a block for a two-point lead. An attack error by the Green and White made it 14-11 and Billet closed things with her fifth kill of the stanza. 

Both teams will host NEWMAC Tournament quarterfinal matches on Tuesday at 7 p.m. as Babson faces Wheaton, while Springfield meets Smith. 

MATCH NOTES
•    The Beavers are 9-20 all-time against Springfield although Saturday's loss was just their third in the last 10 meetings between the teams. 
•    Ten of the last 14 matches between Babson and the Pride have been decided in four or five sets. 
•    The Green and White matched its season high with 13 total blocks but lost for just the third time in 21 matches this fall when recording more blocks than its opponents. 
•    The Beavers are now 4-1 this season in five-set matches.