Lyons take down Engineers, Westfield State

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Wheaton College women's volleyball team went undefeated at its tri-match against Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and Westfield State on Saturday afternoon beating the Engineers, 3-0, and the Owls, 3-1.

Sophomore middle hitter Elise Waelder (San Diego, Calif./Point Loma) powered the Lyons' offense on the afternoon with 20 kills (2.86 per set), three assists, seven service aces, 20 digs and seven blocks (one solo).

Classmate Arieanne Creighton (Brookline, N.H./Hollis Brookline) put down 18 kills, freshman Colleen Koen (Centerville, Mass./Barnstable) notched 17 kills on 32 swings and senior Lindsay Tebbetts (Gilmanton, N.H./Gilford) compiled 11 kills to highlight Wheaton's attack.

Sophomore outside hitter/setter Deirdre Wilson (Aptos, Calif./Aptos) facilitated the offense with 66 assists (9.43 per set) and also added eight kills, one service ace, four digs and three blocks (two solo).

Offensively, the Lyons hit .241 in two matches, tallied 89 kills, 76 assists, 17 service aces, 73 digs and 12 blocks. Wheaton held WPI and Westfield State to a combined .037 hitting percentage on 187 attempts (48 kills total).

WHEATON 3, WPI 0
25-18, 25-14, 25-13

Waelder finished with a game-high 12 kills on 15 swings for a .733 hitting percentage along with eight digs for the Lyons in their New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) season opener. Wheaton had a .381 hitting percentage in the match on 35 kills and just 11 errors (63 attempts).

Creighton, Koen and Tebbetts contributed 15 kills against the Engineers. The Lyons never trailed in any set posting their fifth straight-set victory of the season. Wheaton leads WPI, 22-7, in the all-time series which dates back to 1988.

WHEATON 3, WESTFIELD STATE 1
25-22, 25-12, 24-26, 25-23

Wilson highlighted the Lyons 3-1 victory over Westfield State as the sophomore setter dished out a career-high 41 assists in the match. Creighton and Koen tied in kills with 12, while sophomore libero Robyn D'Agostino (Three Bridges, N.J./Hunterdon Central Regional) and Waelder contributed 12 digs apiece on defense.

After going up 2-0 in the early going, Westfield State responded in set three with a 26-24 triumph registering ten kills and a .156 hitting percentage. The Lyons hit under .100 for the first time all afternoon in the third set on ten kills and 12 errors.

Wheaton regrouped in the fourth set as Koen blasted four kills in the set. Waelder, Creighton, Tebbetts and sophomore right-side hitter Casey Hess (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington North) all added two kills, respectively.

The Lyons (8-6, 1-0 NEWMAC) host Wellesley on Tuesday, September 24 for a NEWMAC clash at 7 p.m.

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