NORTHAMPTON, Mass.—Junior Allison Molendyk (Danville, Calif.) and first-year Liberty May (Grapevine, Texas) combined for eight points in the decisive fifth set as visiting Babson College defeated Smith College, 25-18, 22-25, 25-23, 16-25, 15-13, in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) women's volleyball action on Saturday afternoon inside Ainsworth Gymnasium. 

With its fourth consecutive win, Babson improves to 8-3 overall and 2-0 in conference play. Smith has dropped three of its last four matches to slip to 10-6 overall and 1-1 in the NEWMAC. 

Liberty hit .500 and led all players with a season-high 22 kills to go along with three blocks, while Molendyk contributed 10 kills to pace the Beavers. Junior Zoe Ackerman (Aurora, Colo.) set a new season high with 45 assists and added four blocks, sophomore Sabina Frosk (Coppell, Texas) totaled a match-high 19 digs, and classmate Harmony Powers (Makawao, Hawaii) chipped in with a team-high three service aces. 

First-year Alison Chapin (Temecula, Calif.) had 17 kills, while junior Mia Etheridge (Half Moon Bay, Calif.) added 13 kills, 11 digs and a match-high five aces to pace the Bears. Sophomore Skye Higashihara (Honolulu, Hawaii) and junior Ruby Woodward (Winchester, Mass.) combined for 36 assists and fellow junior Ann Feuer (Frederick, Md.) led all players with six blocks in the loss. 

The Green and White jumped out to an early lead in game one and used an 8-2 run that included two kills by senior Isabella Allen (Williamsville, N.Y.) and a kill and an ace by Ackerman to build a 17-7 advantage en route to claiming the opening stanza. Babson erased an early four-point deficit in the second and capped a 6-1 spurt with a kill by Allen and block by Ackerman for a 22-19 lead only to see Smith respond with a six-point run that included three aces by senior Claudia Poehlmann (Chicago, Ill.) to even the match at a set apiece. 

The Beavers faced a five-point deficit early in the third and were down 22-19 before overtaking the Bears late in the frame. Molendyk produced a kill and May provided a kill and a block during a four-point run that gave the visitors a 23-22 edge, and Babson followed up a service error by Woodward with a kill by Molendyk for a two-point victory. 

The hosts hit .450 and took advantage eight errors by the Green and White to pull away in the fourth, and led by as many as three on three occasions in the fifth with the last coming at 7-4 on a kill by senior Miranda Oakes (San Francisco, Calif.). The Bears' lead was still 11-9 following a ball-handling error, but kills by Allen and Molendyk and a block by sophomore Angelina Holm (Denver, Colo.) gave the Beavers their first lead at 13-12. 

Smith pulled even on another ball-handling error, but Molendyk followed with to make it 14-13 and took advantage of an attack error at set point to close out the match. 

The Green and White hit .200 and finished with the edge in both kills (55-47) and digs (52-44). The Bears hit .209 and both teams had 12 blocks. 

Both squads are back in action on Tuesday at 7 p.m. as Babson hosts Wellesley while Smith takes on Springfield. 

MATCH NOTES
•    The Beavers are now 17-24 all-time against Smith and have won nine of the last 11 matches between the teams. 
•    Babson is now 7-2 this fall when winning the first set and a perfect 8-0 when hitting .200 or better. 
•    The Green and White is 1-1 this season and 8-3 over the last three seasons in five-set matches. 
•    Allen, who finished with nine kills, has at least eight in seven straight matches, while Holm extended her streak of matches with a block to 17 after recording four on Saturday.