SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Rivier women's volleyball team split its matches against Westfield St. and tournament hosts Springfield on day two of the Joel B. Dearing '79 Classic. The Raiders swept Westfield St. in their opener before falling to hosts, Springfield, in straight sets on Saturday afternoon at Blake Arena.

In addition to the program's first win of the 2025 campaign, sophomore setter Lily Seibel was named to the Dearing Classic All-Tournament Team. Seibel recorded 66 assists, averaging 6.66 a/s, while contributing eight kills, five service aces, 23 digs, and four total blocks

With the results, Rivier moved to 1–2 overall, while Westfield St. dropped to 0-3 and Springfield improved to 3-0 following game two.

Rivier 3, Westfield St. 0 (26-24, 25-18, 25-15)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Raiders jumped out to an early 5-0 lead in the opening set with sophomore Lydia Brakefield and junior Sam Driend contributing kills in the rally
• Both squads would continue to trade opportunities, until senior Ali Rivera ended the set with three consecutive kills, 26-24
• Rivier continued to thrive in the second set, jumping out to a 7-2 lead as sophomore Savannah Dunne capped off the run with a kill of her own
• Westfield St. brought the set level at 12 a piece off the back of Hanna Nihill's three kills
• The Raiders concluded the second set in similar fashion to the first, with three straight points to go up 2-0 in the match
• Both teams traded points once again, but a seven-point run late in the third set, that included kills from Rivera and Seibel, secured the the match for the Raiders

BOX SCORE BREAKDOWN

• Brakefield led the offense with 10 kills, followed by Rivera, Dunne, and senior Callie Nanos who each recorded seven
• Seibel contributed 32 assists in the win along with eight digs
• Senior Kaitlyn Miller led the defensive efforts with 20 digs

Springfield 3, Rivier 0 (25-16, 25-15, 25-15)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Raiders came out strong in the first set with a 3-0 lead behind two service aces from Seibel, but Springfield answered with a 7-1 run and held on to take the opening set, 25-16.
• The Pride's offense continued its efficient play in the second set, hitting at a .353 clip.
• Rivier was trading opportunities with the Pride early in the frame, but Springfield was able to string together three separate runs to secure the second set, 25-15.
• Springfield jumped ahead early in the third, using a 10-5 run to put themselves in a position to secure the match
• Despite kills late in the final set from Brakefield, Rivera, and Driend, the Pride closed out the frame 25-15 to complete the sweep.

BOX SCORE BREAKDOWN

• Rivera recorded a team-high seven kills in the match
• Seibel added 12 more assists to round out the day with 44
• First-year Sofia Victal recorded a team-high even digs in her collegiate debut

UP NEXT

The Raiders return to the court Tuesday, Sept. 4th for a non-conference matchup with Nichols College. First serve is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at the Nichols Athletic Center.