BENNINGTON, Vt. – The Southern Vermont College women's volleyball locked up a spot in the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) postseason tournament Saturday afternoon as the Mountaineers defeated the visiting Mitchell College Mariners 3-0 at the Mountaineer Athletic Center.

SVC moves to 5-0 in the conference (8-6 overall) as Mitchell falls to 1-3 in league action, 4-11 overall. The Mountaineers swept the match with game scores of 25-8, 25-21, and 25-10.

Southern Vermont junior Marissa Flores (Azusa, Calif.) led all players with 10 kills while junior Jessica Delgado (Los Angeles, Calif.) followed with nine. Delgado and senior Carrie Baltazar (Whittier, Calif.) each had four services aces on the day.

The Mountaineers were able to take advantage of Mitchell hitting errors in the opening set while also utilizing five service aces en route to a solid 25-8 game win. Mariner adjustments made for a much closer middle frame which saw MC take the lead at various points throughout. With the score tied at 20-20, Southern Vermont took five of the next six points to go up 2-0 in the match. Four-straight early aces by Delgado in the third set gave the Mountaineers a comfortable lead that they would not relinquish as they carried the momentum to the 25-10 win.

Senior libero Vanessa Ruelas (Paramount, Calif.) popped 11 digs for the Mountaineers while sophomore setter Sheilani Kaleopa (Riverside, Calif.) assisted on 22 of the team's 26 kills.

Mariner sophomore Amanda Garcia (New Britain, Conn.) led the team with six kills, and senior captain Gloria Charles (New Haven, Conn.) recorded a match-high 12 digs. Sophomore setter Nicole Caminiti (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) had 11 assists for the visitors.

The Mountaineers turn to a tough non-conference matchup Tuesday when they head down the road to Williams College for a 7 p.m. tilt while Mitchell continues its Vermont tour with a Sunday tri-match at Johnson State College, playing Lyndon State College at 1 p.m. and then the Badgers at 3 p.m.