Lyons fall to 8-8 overall, 2-2 NEWMAC

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Wheaton College women's volleyball team was swept by Springfield College in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action by scores of 10-25, 16-25 and 20-25 on Tuesday night at James Naismith Court in Blake Arena.

Pride senior outside hitter Tessa Smolinski (Hebron, Conn./RHAM) led all student-athletes with 11 kills (.625 hitting percentage), two service aces, four digs and one block assist. Sophomore Kelsey McGayhey (Shelter Island, N.Y./Shelter Island) and freshman Lauren Holt (Granby, Conn./Granby) added seven kills apiece to Springfield's attack.

For Wheaton, sophomore Elise Waelder (San Diego, Calif./Point Loma) notched five kills on nine attacks and zero errors for a .556 hitting percentage. Waelder also contributed one service ace, one dig and one block solo. Classmates Taylor Matook (Exeter, R.I./Exeter-West Greenwich) and Arieanne Creighton (Brookline, N.H./Hollis Brookline) combined for ten kills, three digs and one block assist.

Springfield hit .400 on the night with 33 putaways and only nine errors alongside 29 assists, 16 service aces, 19 digs and four blocks (two solo). Senior defensive specialist Lindsay Runge (Closter, N.J./Northern Valley Demarest) registered a match-high eight service aces in the win for the Pride.

Wheaton compiled a .102 hitting percentage on 20 kills, 14 errors and 59 attempts. The Lyons dished out 14 assists, with 13 coming from sophomore Deirdre Wilson (Aptos, Calif./Aptos), four service aces, 14 digs and three blocks (two solo).

Set number two featured nine ties and three lead changes before Springfield erased a 13-13 standstill with a 12-3 run highlighted by a pair of kills from Smolinski down the stretch. The Pride closed out match in set three on four kills from Smolinski and three each by McGayhey and Holt.

Wheaton (8-8, 2-2 NEWMAC) travels to Emmanuel College on Thursday, October 3 for a non-conference match at 7 p.m. Springfield (13-1, 5-1 NEWMAC) visits Clark University on Tuesday, October 8 for a NEWMAC clash beginning at 7 p.m.

For the latest on Wheaton College Athletics, follow the Lyons via social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.