NORTON, MA- Senior Lauren Kraus (Westboro,
MA/Westboro) landed kills for three of her team's final
four points, helping the Wheaton College women's volleyball team
complete a comeback from a two-set deficit during its 3-2 (19-25,
22-25, 25-20, 25-19, 16-14) Homecoming weekend win over Eastern
Connecticut State University on Friday in Emerson Gymnasium. The
10-8 Lyons, who have won six times in eight five-set matches this
year, extended their win streak to five. The Warriors have lost six
of seven in slipping to 7-9. It was the teams' 16th meeting, but
the first in Norton.
Sophomore Miranda Howitt (San Francisco,
CA/International) led Wheaton with 15 kills while adding
10 digs, and classmate Lauren McGrath (Wading River,
NY/Shoreham-Wading River) turned in eight kills and five
blocks. Kraus had six kills while also dropping in seven service
aces and recording four blocks, as she is six kills shy of becoming
the sixth Lyon with 1,000 in a career.
Freshman Olanna Nissim (Greenwich,
CT/Greenwich) totaled six kills and 10 digs, while
classmate Rachel Vergara (Needham, MA/Needham)
tallied six kills and five blocks. Junior Becca Rose
(Sudbury, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury Regional) contributed 40
assists and 14 digs, while sophomore Emily Davisson
(Carpinteria, CA/Laguna Blanca School) and junior
Kristen Hunt (Milford, CT/Jonathan Law) collected
14 and 13 digs, respectively.
For Eastern Connecticut State, sophomore Britt Carrier
(Southington, CT/Southington) had a big performance with
16 kills and 24 digs, while classmate Kristianna Ibsen
(Shelton, CT/Shelton) turned in 11 kills and five blocks.
Sophomore Samantha Slonski (Griswold, CT/Griswold)
had 44 assists, 15 digs, four aces and three blocks, while
classmate Taylor Abelli (Cheshire, CT/Cheshire)
and senior Ashley Tuggle (South Windsor, CT/South
Windsor) turned in 21 and 13 digs, respectively.
In the final set of the match, Wheaton grabbed a trio of
two-point leads before a 3-0 Warrior run put them in front at 10-9,
the first of three one-point edges the visitors took late. However,
a tandem block by Kraus and Vergara knotted the match at 12, and
ensuing Kraus kills twice gave the Lyons brief one-point leads.
After another Kraus kill made it 15-14, Howitt's kill clinched the
come-from-behind victory.
During each of the first two sets, Eastern Connecticut State
pulled out of a late tie to capture a victory. In the opener, two
aces and a kill by Slonski keyed a 7-1 run that snapped an 18-all
deadlock. After Wheaton rallied from a 14-4 deficit to eventually
lead 21-20 in the second set, Carrier dropped a kill to cap a 5-1
run that give the visitors a 2-0 lead.
The Lyons scored eight straight points, including four on Kraus
aces, to turn a two-point hole into an 11-5 lead in the third set,
and McGrath and Nissim went up for a block at set point that
finished a 4-1 run. In the fourth, the Lyons used a 6-0 run to nab
a 13-10 advantage, with Vergara tallying two kills and two blocks
during that time. The Warriors came no closer than one point, and
the teams stood tied at two.
The Lyons are back in action on Tuesday at New England Women's
and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) foe Massachusetts Institute
of Technology (MIT) at 7:00 p.m. The Engineers are ranked eighth in
the latest New England Women's Volleyball Association (NEWVA)
poll.
