Creighton delivers a match-high 12 kills for the Lyons

POSTGAME COMMENTS WITH HEAD COACH CRAIG LETOURNEAU

NORTON, Mass. – The Wheaton College volleyball team claimed their first victory of the 2014 season with a 3-0 sweep of Rhode Island College (RIC) by scores of 25-6, 25-18, 25-15 on Tuesday evening in Emerson Gymnasium.

Wheaton junior outside hitter Arieanne Creighton (Brookline, N.H./Hollis Brookline) recorded a match-high 12 kills (.579 hitting percentage), while classmate Deirdre Wilson (Aptos, Calif./Aptos) paced the Lyons with a match-high eight kills, eight digs, five assists and two service aces in the victory. First-year Allison Cox (Torrance, Calif./West Torrance) also notched a pair of service aces and chipped in with four digs of her own. Junior Robyn D'Agostino (Three Bridges, N.J./Hunterdon Central Regional) facilitated the offense with a team-high 11 assists (.407 set percentage).

Rhode Island College was led by first-year Logan Fontes (East Providence, R.I./East Providence) with her four kills in the match. Classmate Abigayl White (Coventry, R.I./Coventry) dished out a match-high 12 assists and also compiled a team-high six digs in the loss.

Ahead 19-6 in set one, Wheaton sophomore Caitlin Hellebrand (Corona, Calif./Santiago) maintained serve for six-straight points to close out the set one victory for the hosts. The Lyons also produced a .400 hitting percentage and 13 kills total to breeze by RIC in the opening set.

In the second set, the Blue and White jumped out to an early 7-3 lead after a service ace by Cox and a kill by Colleen Koen (Centerville, Mass./Barnstable). The Anchorwomen bounced back with two kills and a pair of service aces to bring the score within 10-7 but Creighton answered with a kill to spoil the run and end any threat of a RIC comeback.

The third and final set began with back and forth points to make the score 7-6 in favor of the Lyons. Wheaton then went on a 7-1 run as Jodi Katz (Needham, Mass./Needham) held serve for seven-straight points to push the score 14-7. The Lyons also used a game high 14 kills in the third set to eventually put away RIC, 25-15. Katz finished the contest with seven digs in just two sets.

The Blue and White posted a .338 (35 K, 9 E, 77 TA) hitting percentage, dished out 33 assists, bumped up 39 attacks and registered ten service aces.

Wheaton (1-3) hosts Connecticut College and Keene State University on Saturday, September 6 for a tri-match beginning at 11 a.m. Rhode Island College (0-1) returns to action in the Brandeis University Invitational beginning at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, September 5.

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