Jacobs notches 18 kills, .517 hitting percentage in win

BOSTON, Mass. – In a match that featured 39 ties and 19 lead changes, the Wheaton College women's volleyball team came out victorious over Emerson College, 3-2, in a back-and-forth New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) contest on Tuesday night at Brown-Plofker Gym by scores of 21-25, 26-24, 25-27, 25-20 and 15-11.

Wheaton sophomore middle hitter Kendall Jacobs (San Diego, Calif./Scripps Ranch) powered home a match-high 18 kills for a .517 hitting percentage to go along with a team-high four serve aces, two assists and five digs. Jacobs' 18 putaways ties her career-high which came against Westfield State University on October 19 in a 3-1 victory over the Owls.

Classmate Deirdre Wilson (Aptos, Calif./Aptos) surpassed her career-high in assists with 46 helpers on the night. Wilson also had seven kills (.500 hitting percentage), three service aces, 12 digs and four block assists. Wilson leads the squad with six double-doubles on the season.

Freshman Gaby Gryko (Moraga, Calif./Campolindo) supplied a career-high 15 kills (.406 hitting percentage), while sophomore Arieanne Creighton (Brookline, N.H./Hollis Brookline) compiled 12 kills to aid the offense. Sophomore Elise Waelder (San Diego, Calif./Point Loma) turned in an all-round performance with seven kills, four assists, one service ace, seven digs and four block assists.

Emerson was led by junior Kat Rice (Delmar, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) and freshman Jules Augustine (Skaneateles, N.Y./Skaneateles) who both combined for 28 kills, three digs and one service ace. Sophomore setter Juliana Tucker (Encino, Calif./Campbell Hall) registered four kills, 37 assists, one service ace and nine digs.

Tied 1-1 after the first two sets which were decided by no more than six points, Emerson edged out Wheaton 27-25 in set three behind nine kills, combined, from Rice, Augustine and senior Alyssa Thorne (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin). Set three showcased 12 ties, the most of any stanza, and seven lead changes before Augustine tied the contest at 25-25 with her third kill of the set. Emerson took advantage of an attacking error by Wheaton to push ahead 26-25 and freshman Elizabeth Reid (Charlottesville, Va./Charlottesville) clinched a 2-1 margin on the scoreboard with her only service ace of the match.

Wheaton responded in set four with its highest offensive output of the night with 15 kills for a .314 hitting percentage. Creighton took over for the Lyons belting seven kills on 16 attempts, while Emerson compounded Creighton's effort with a match-low .091 hitting percentage. Wheaton erased a 12-12 tie in large part to Creighton who recorded four kills down the stretch.

The Lyons capitalized on their newfound momentum in set five racing out to an 8-5 advantage as Jacobs and Creighton sent away seven kills, combined. As a team, Wheaton hit .421 on 11 kills to finish the match with double-digit putaways in each set. Defensively, Wilson tallied four digs, one less than her previous total in the fourth set which helped sway all momentum in favor of the Blue and White.

Wheaton (10-9, 3-2 NEWMAC) hosts MIT on Thursday, October 10 for a conference matchup at 7 p.m. Emerson (12-9, 2-4 NEWMAC) welcomes Brandeis to Brown-Plofker Gym on Thursday at 7 p.m. for a non-conference tilt.

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