BABSON PARK, Mass.—Senior Lauren Gips (Winter Park, Fla.), junior Isabella Allen (Williamsville, N.Y.) and sophomore Hailey Fouche (Montclair, N.J.) combined for 46 kills to help Babson College defeat visiting Salve Regina University in four sets, 21-25, 25-20, 26-24, 25-23, in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) women's volleyball action on Saturday afternoon inside Staake Gymnasium. 

With its 16th consecutive win, Babson improves to 20-1 overall and 7-0 in conference play for the third year in a row. Salve Regina, which has dropped six of its last seven matches, dips to 6-13 overall and 3-4 in the NEWMAC. 

Gips hit .593 and totaled 16 kills against no errors in 27 attempts, while Allen and Fouche both contributed 15 kills and 11 digs for the Beavers. Sophomore Zoe Ackerman (Aurora, Colo.) handed out 51 assists, first-year Sabina Frosk (Coppell, Texas) had 13 digs and sophomore Nora Whitehurst (Atlanta, Ga.) chipped in with a season-high six kills in the victory. 

Junior Lucy Swanson (West Yarmouth, Mass.) recorded 16 kills and 12 digs, while classmate Lauren Hoyle (Albany, N.Y.) and first-year Lauren Shurling (Hudson, Mass.) added 10 kills apiece to pace the Seahawks. Senior Siena DeCicco (Severna Park, Md.) handed out 29 assists to go along with 12 digs, while sophomore Madelyn Homer (North Easton, Mass.) led all players with 14 digs in the loss. 

Salve Regina built a 13-10 edge midway through the opening set and got four kills apiece from Swanson and junior Lydia Daskalos (Hollis, N.H.) while hitting .400 to hold off the Green and White 25-21. Game two was deadlocked at 16-all before the Beavers went on a 7-1 run that included an ace by Ackerman and kills by Allen, senior Lauren Griffin (Los Altos Hills, Calif.) and Whitehurst on the way to pulling even at a set apiece. 

The third set featured 12 ties and seven lead changes with the biggest advantage for either team coming at 20-16 on a kill by Whitehurst. The Seahawks responded by scoring eight of the next 11 points, which included three consecutive kills by Swanson to go in front 24-23. Gips tied the match with a block following a timeout and then gave Babson a one-point lead before it closed out the stanza thanks to a Salve Regina attack error for a 2-1 edge in the match. 

The Green and White trailed 12-10 midway through game four before seizing command with a 7-1 run that featured two kills and an ace by Fouche and another ace by Griffin for a 17-13 advantage. The Seahawks closed to within one on a kill by Shurling but Allen, Whitehurst and Fouche answered with kills and the Beavers closed out the victory thanks to a service error by the visitors. 

Both teams continue conference play on Tuesday at 7 p.m. as Babson travels to Clark, while Salve Regina hosts Coast Guard. 

MATCH NOTES
•    The Beavers are 6-3 all-time against Salve Regina and have won four consecutive matches between the teams. 
•    Babson has won 16 straight matches for the third season in a row and the streak is tied for the second longest in program history behind the 2019 squad that rattled off 22 consecutive victories. 
•    Fouche, who set a new career high in kills, has recorded at least eight in each of her last seven outings going back to October 5. 
•    The Beavers are now 5-0 this fall when dropping the first set.