Medford, Mass. – November 20, 2025 – The Springfield College women's volleyball team saw its 2025 season come to a close following a three-set loss to 18th-ranked Emory University in the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship Regional Quarterfinals on the campus of Tufts University on Thursday morning.
Emory, which won by scores of 25-16, 25-16, 25-20, improved to 20-7 and will advance to the Regional Semifinals and take on either top-ranked East Texas Baptist University or Maine Maritime tomorrow at 4:30 pm. Springfield sees its season end at 23-8 after making its third straight trip to the national tournament.
Springfield received a stellar performance from
Ahunna James (Plainville, Mass.), as she hit .440 with 12 kills, while
Aubrey Hughes (Liberty Hill, Texas) and
Emily Keaveney (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) added eight and five kills, respectively.
Tori Colosimo (Fairport, N.Y.) dished out 29 assists and led the Pride with two aces and 11 digs. Emory was guided by Kate LaRocco with 15 kills, hitting .414, while Kaya Monrose hit .421 with ten kills for the Eagles. As a team, Emory hit .359 with 42 total kills and held Springfield to a hitting percentage of .158 and 33 total kills.
Emory took an early 15-3 lead in the first and never looked back en route to winning the set 25-16. A kill from Hughes broke Emory's run and ignited a spurt of five straight points from Springfield, but the Eagles responded with a 6-1 run of their own, pushing the advantage to 21-9. The Pride ended up scoring seven of the set's final 11 points, but Kate LaRocco terminated the set, 25-16.
Much like in the first, Emory jumped out to a big lead – this time 18-8 – and never looked back. Springfield was able to cut the deficit following swings by James
and Aurissa Boardman (Brooklyn, Conn.) and eventually pulled within six at 21-15 following kills from Hughes,
Jodi Saelua (Miliani, Hawaii) and James. LaRocco sparked Emory with a kill to stop Springfield's momentum as the Eagles scored the final four points they needed to win the second, 25-16.
The third was very much back and forth, and with Emory 13-9, Springfield went on a brief 5-1 run, tying the score at 14 the first time Springfield was able to accomplish that on the day. Keaveney ignited the run before two kills from James and two errors by Emory knotted the score. Emory answered with a 6-2 spurt. Springfield was able to climb back within two at 20-18, but a swing by Gabija Staniskis allowed Emory to score five of the third set's final seven points and hold off a comeback effort by Springfield, 25-20.
About the NEWMAC
The NEWMAC is an association of 12 selective academic institutions: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Emerson College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Salve Regina University, Smith College, Springfield College, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, that are committed to providing high quality competitive athletic opportunities for student-athletes within an educational and respectful environment that embodies the NCAA Division III Philosophy. The conference also partners with eight Associate Members: Brandeis University (Women's Lacrosse, 2026-2027), New York University (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), Norwich University (Football), Simmons College (Rowing), SUNY Maritime College (Football), SUNY New Paltz (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Football), and Vassar College (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), while sponsoring 20 sports.