Lyons improve to 15-10 on the season

NORTON, Mass. – The Wheaton College women's volleyball team posted a pair of 3-1 victories over Bridgewater State University (BSU) and Western Connecticut State University (BSU) earlier today when the Lyons hosted a tri-match inside Emerson Gymnasium. Wheaton defeated BSU by scores of 25-14, 25-18, 20-25 and 25-18 and also bested WCSU by scores of 25-23, 23-25, 25-22 and 25-22.

WHEATON 3, BSU 1 (25-14, 25-18, 20-25, 25-18)

In the first match of the day, the Lyons delivered head coach Craig Letourneau his 200th career coaching win. Letourneau entered the 2014 season at Wheaton with an 186-171 record overall, combined, when including his stops at Rhode Island College (2002-06) and Emerson College (2008-10).

Sophomore outside hitter/right-side hitter Colleen Koen (Centerville, Mass./Barnstable) paced the attack in match one with nine kills and four digs. Junior Elise Waelder (San Diego, Calif./Point Loma) contributed eight kills, three service aces and five digs, while classmate Arieanne Creighton (Brookline, N.H./Hollis Brookline) had eight kills, one dig and three block assists.

Juniors Deirdre Wilson (Aptos, Calif./Aptos) and Taylor Matook (Exeter, R.I./Exeter-West Greenwich) both notched six kills apiece. Wilson also added 20 assists, two service aces, six digs and three block assists. Junior middle hitter Kendall Jacobs (San Diego, Calif./Scripps Ranch) chipped in with seven kills, one service ace and two digs.

Sarah Alexander (Wayne, Pa./Conestoga) tallied three kills and six block assists, while sophomore Caitlin Hellebrand (Corona, Calif./Santiago) ran the offense with 22 assists (.458 set percentage) and four digs. First-year Stephanie Martin (Centerville, Mass./Barnstable) shined from the back row with a .969 serve-receive percentage on 32 attempts and a team-high 24 digs.

Wheaton collected double-digit kills in each set but the third, the Lyons only loss in the match. Set two featured eight ties and five lead changes before the Blue and White erased a 13-13 tie with a 12-5 run spearheaded by Creighton, Matook and junior right-side hitter Casey Hess (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington North). All three student-athletes sent home two putaways, respectively, in the spurt.

The deciding set showcased nine ties and four lead changes. Wheaton used another 12-5 run with the scored tied at 13-all this time receiving three kills from Jacobs to take the match and highlight the run.

WHEATON 3, WCSU (25-23, 23-25, 25-22, 25-22)

Wilson powered the Lyons' offense in the nightcap with her eighth triple-double this season and ninth overall in her career with a match-high 19 kills (.514 hitting percentage), 19 assists and 13 digs. Hess put away 12 swings (.476 hitting percentage), while Waelder had ten kills, one assist and three block assists.

Hellebrand totaled a match-high 31 assists alongside two kills and one dig. Jacobs notched eight kills (.438 hitting percentage), three digs and one block assist, while Creighton turned in seven kills, one dig and two block assists. Defensively, Martin bumped up a match-high 20 attacks, sophomore defensive specialist Anna Strock (Centerville, Mass./Barnstable) had 11 digs and junior defensive specialist Robyn D'Agostino (Three Bridges, N.J./Hunterdon Central Regional) collected eight digs and also dished out two assists for the Lyons.

Despite the close scores, all four sets weren't of the back-and-forth variety as there were no more than two lead changes in any set during the final match of the day. Wheaton used an efficient attack to claim its third-straight victory in its last five contests with a .276 hitting percentage on the night. The Lyons hit .343 in set one, .333 in set two and .220 in the final two sets. Wheaton posted a match-high 18 kills in set one and followed with totals of 17, 15 and 15 in the remaining sets.

Wilson led the charge in set one with six kills on eight attempts, while Wilson and Waelder tied for the team-high in kills in set two with four apiece. Creighton guided the offense in set three with four putaways and Wilson closed out WCSU with six kills in set four. Hess also added five putaways in set four on seven attempts.

Wheaton (15-10, 4-3 NEWMAC) hosts Clark University next Tuesday on "Dig Pink Night" inside Emerson Gymnasium at 7 p.m.

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