BABSON PARK, MA- The Wheaton College women's volleyball team went to five sets for the fourth time this year on Tuesday night and could not hold off a Babson College rally, losing 3-2 (25-19, 25-19, 19-25, 14-25, 13-15) during New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play in Staake Gymnasium. The Lyons are now 5-8 overall and 0-3 in the league, while the Beavers are 6-5 and 3-0.

Sophomore Miranda Howitt (San Francisco, CA/International) paced Wheaton with 19 kills while adding 12 digs, senior Lauren Kraus (Westboro, MA/Westboro) tallied 15 kills, and sophomore Lauren McGrath (Wading River, NY/Shoreham-Wading River) turned in 12. Junior Becca Rose (Sudbury, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury Regional) had 51 assists and 11 digs.

Defensively, sophomore Emily Davisson (Carpinteria, CA/Laguna Blanca School) led the Lyons with 18 digs, and freshman Olanna Nissim (Greenwich, CT/Greenwich) had 14.

For the hosts, sophomore Meg Flaherty (Hollis, NH/Hollis Brookline) tallied 20 kills and 17 digs, junior Nina Milovanovic (Belgrade, Serbia/Burnaby North Secondary) recorded 19 kills, and freshman Kathleen Lynch (Quincy, MA/North Quincy) contributed 52 assists.

After Babson had rallied from a two-set deficit to force a deciding fifth frame, the hosts scored the first three points of the final set before a 4-0 run by the Lyons put them in front. From there, the squads played through seven more ties before the visitors pulled in front by a 12-10 count. However, following a Beaver timeout, the hosts rattled off five of the final six points.

Wheaton is back in action on Thursday at Salve Regina University at 7:00 p.m.