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NORTON, Mass.- The Wheaton College women's volleyball team collected its first New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) victory under head coach Craig Letourneau on Tuesday night, as the host Lyons bested regionally-ranked Babson College, 3-1 (17-25, 25-20, 25-22, 25-20) in Emerson Gymnasium.

Wheaton, which equaled last year's win total tonight, snapped its three-match losing skid to improve to 4-8 overall and 1-2 in league play.  The Beavers, who entered tonight ranked 12th regionally in the most recent New England Women's Volleyball Association (NEWVA) poll, saw its three-match win streak end in falling to 7-3 overall and 2-1 in the conference.

Freshmen Anastasia Tammen (San Pedro, Calif./Bishop Montgomery) and Arieanne Creighton (Brookline, N.H./Hollis Brookline) led Wheaton's hitting attack with 13 and 10 kills, respectively.  Classmates Page Gustofson (South Lake Tahoe, Calif./South Tahoe) and Jackie Kochiss (Milford, Conn./Jonathan Law) handed out 25 and 15 assists, respectively.

Freshman Robyn D'Agostino (Three Bridges, N.J./Hunterdon Central Regional) finished with five digs and five service aces, while classmate Elise Waelder (San Diego, Calif./Point Loma) turned in four blocks and five aces.  Freshman Casey Hess (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington North) also had four blocks.

For the guests, freshman Mary Donahue (Braintree, Mass./Braintree) notched 14 kills and four blocks, classmate Alicia Wilde (Franklin, Mass./Franklin) recorded nine kills, and senior Kathleen Lynch (Quincy, Mass./North Quincy) added 33 assists.  Junior Karla Flores (San Juan, P.R./Academia Perpetuo Socorro) and sophomore Brianna San Diego (Daly City, Calif./Lick-Wilmerding) contributed seven digs apiece.

The opening match saw a five-all tie turn in Babson's favor, as the Beavers used a 12-5 run to lead 17-10.  Wheaton crept to within 19-16 before the visitors scored six of the final seven points.  Seven ties ensued in the second set, with the final one coming at 10-10, before the Lyons went on a 5-0 spurt for a lead they would not relinquish.  Babson trimmed its deficit to one on two occasions before a 5-1 stretch, including a game-winning kill from freshman Kendall Jacobs (San Diego, Calif./Scripps Ranch), tied the match at one.

Neither team led by more than five points in a tight third set.  Wheaton held a 15-10 edge, but the Beavers scored 12 of the contest's next 17 points for a 22-20 lead.  The Lyons answered with the set's final five points.  Wheaton jumped out to an 11-3 advantage in the fourth and final set and eventually led 17-8, however Babson narrowed the gap to 23-19.  The Lyons responded with a Creighton kill, and two points later Wheaton won on a Beaver hitting miscue.

The Lyons will play in their second tri-match this Saturday at Salve Regina University.  Wheaton will face the hosts in Newport, R.I., at 12:00 p.m. and Lesley University at 2:00 p.m.