NORTON, Mass. - The Wheaton College volleyball team hosted Rhode Island College and Eastern Connecticut State on Saturday afternoon in the Emerson Gymnasium on 'Senior Day'. The Lyons fell 0-3 (21-25, 21-25, 19-25) to Rhode Island College, but bounced back to take down Eastern Connecticut 3-0 (20-16, 25-19, 25-21).

The Lyons are now 11-12 on the season.

vs. RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE
The Lyons were led by five kills from seniors Elise Waelder and Casey Hess, while Sarah Alexander, Deirdre Wilson and Taylor Matook each ended the match with four. Wilson led Wheaton with 14 assists and Robyn D'Agostino had 10. Alexander led all players with three blocks, while Matook chipped in two.

Keelsey Lace of Rhode Island College led all players with 19 kills, while teammate Michelle Malboeuf ended the match with 12. Cassia Spivey had a match-high 30 assists and Morgan Stewart finished with three blocks.

Wheaton opened the first set with a 3-0 lead, but that was quickly countered with a 4-0 run by Rhode Island College. With the set deadlocked at 13-13 the Anchormen pulled ahead to a 20-17 advantage. Wheaton fought its way back in, tying the match against at 20-20, but Rhode Island College would regain the momentum and close out the set on a 5-1 run.

The second set saw the Anchormen capture an early lead and never let go. Wheaton managed to tie the set on one occasion, but the Lyons would never hold the lead, falling 25-21.

The third and final set started off with a competitive back and forth before the Anchormen ran ahead to an 18-9 advantage. Kills by Waelder, Alexander and Cathryn MacGregor made it an 18-12 contest, but the Lyons would not be able to take the lead.

vs. EASTERN CONNECTICUT STATE
Matook and Claire Cansler paced the Lyons with eight kills each, while Waelder knocked down seven. Wilson once again led the team in assists, this time picking up 27, while also chipping in a block. Cansler led all players with four blocks, while Waelder had three and MacGregor, Arieanne Creighton and Matook each had two.

Adrianna Mihalek led all players with a match-high nine kills for the Warriors, while Amanda Tourjee had 14 assists. Defensively, Jackie Orlowski finished the match with four blocks for ECSU, while Hannah Bryant had three.

Wheaton fell behind early in the first set, but quickly rebounded to take the lead for good on an attacking error by the Warriors. With a 9-7 advantage, the Lyons went on an 8-0 run to take a dominating 17-7 lead. The Warriors earned a few points back down the stretch, but would not be able to overcome the host team.

Like the first set, the Lyons fell behind early but managed to not let it faze them. A kill by Matook handed Wheaton a 5-4 lead, a lead they would never let go of. A service error by ECSU handed Wheaton its largest lead of the set at 21-14. The Lyons closed out the set with kills by Waelder, MacGregor and Creighton.

The third set started with a competitive back and forth, but with the set tied at 10-10, the Lyons took control. Wheaton rattled off four unanswered points that earned them the lead for good.

UP NEXT:
Wheaton returns to the court on Oct. 20 with a 7 p.m. New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) match at Clark.

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