Waelder has nine kills, six digs in loss

BABSON PARK, Mass. – The Wheaton College women's volleyball team forced a fourth set but the Lyons rally came up just short as Babson College clinched a 3-1 victory by scores of 14-25, 19-25, 25-16 and 19-25 on Tuesday night at Staake Gymnasium in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action.

Sophomore middle hitter Elise Waelder (San Diego, Calif./Point Loma) notched a team-high nine kills, two assists, six digs and three block assists to highlight Wheaton's offense. Classmate Kendall Jacobs (San Diego, Calif./Scripps Ranch) added six kills, one assist, one service ace, nine digs and one block assist, while sophomore Arieanne Creighton (Brookline, N.H./Hollis Brookline) had five kills and one block assist. Classmate Deirdre Wilson (Aptos, Calif./Aptos) dished out 23 assists and recorded 12 digs for her team-leading 11th double-double of the season.

Babson received a match-high ten kills and four digs from freshman Brittany Goldschmidt (Delray Beach, Fla./Boca Raton Community HS) and eight putaways apiece by sophomores Mary Donahue (Braintree, Mass./Braintree) and Alicia Wilde (Franklin, Mass./Franklin).

Classmate Krissy Robertson (Dedham, Mass./Ursuline Academy) facilitated the attack with 19 assists to go along with five kills, six service aces and six digs. Sophomore Angela Price (Medway, Mass./Medway) registered 15 assists, two kills, two service aces and seven digs to aid the offense.

The Beavers jumped out to a 1-0 lead after the first set utilizing ten kills, a .222 hitting percentage, two service aces, 16 digs and two blocks in the opening stanza. Wheaton compiled a -.067 hitting percentage in set one on six kills, eight errors and 30 total attacks.

In set two, the Lyons picked up their play before falling 25-19 as Babson powered home a set-high 13 kills on a .242 hitting percentage. Donahue led the way with four kills, while Wilde sent home three.

Wheaton rallied in set three with eight kills, a .300 hitting percentage, three service aces, eight digs and three blocks. Waelder paced the squad with four kills, one dig and two blocks. Set three only featured one tie and one lead change as the Lyons emerged from an 11-2 deficit outscoring the hosts 13-4 to even the score at 15-all. From that point on, Wheaton capitalized on five Babson errors, while posting three kills and two service aces.

The Beavers responded with their best offensive output of the match in set four hitting .345 on 12 kills including four from Wilde and six combined by Goldschmidt and sophomore Mary Martin (East Haddam, Conn./Nathan Hale-Ray). Defensively, Wheaton bumped up a match-high 14 digs, but eventually fell 25-19 in the set.

Wheaton (14-16, 4-5 NEWMAC) wraps up regular season play at home this Saturday against Smith College in a conference clash at 1 p.m. The Lyons will honor their lone senior Lindsay Tebbetts (Gilmanton, N.H./Gilford) and also hold their Dig Pink event against the Pioneers this weekend. Babson (18-11, 7-3 NEWMAC) awaits its placement in the upcoming NEWMAC tournament.

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