WELLESLEY, Mass. -- The Wheaton College (Mass.) women's volleyball team was defeated by host Wellesley College, 3-1 (25-18, 24-26, 25-18, 25-16), this evening in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference play at Dorothy Towne Fieldhouse in Wellesley, Mass. The Lyons fall to 12-6 overall and 2-4 in league action, while the Blue improve to 4-7 and 2-4.

Junior right side hitter Emily Hickey (Kennebunk, Maine) led Wheaton with seven kills and added a dig, while sophomore outside hitter Annah Shaheen (Portsmouth, N.H.) spiked for six kills and picked up three digs to go with a block. Junior right side hitter Bailey Madrzyk (Barrington, Ill.) put down five kills, recorded four block assists and picked up three digs and junior defensive specialist Ariana Rajaee (Marlborough, Conn.) matched her season high with 17 digs.

Senior Nicole Doerges (San Marino, Calif.) recorded a game-high 22 kills and 12 digs to lead Wellesley. Junior TylerBell Smith (Frisco, Texas) joined Doerges in double-figures with 12 kills on 24 attempts (.417) while adding six block assists and one solo block. In the back row, junior libero Claire Bialek (Brookline, Mass.) collected a team-high 15 digs and senior defensive specialist Lizzy Jessen (Burbank, Calif.) added 11 digs. Senior setter Izzy Seebold (Concord, N.C.) dished out 38 assists to six different Wellesley attackers in the contest. 

The Blue quickly got off to a 3-0 start in set one, with kills from both Smith and Seebold. The Lyons came back and the set was knotted at 6-6, Wellesley exploded for a 7-0 run and took a commanding lead. While Wheaton fought back to make it a four-point game, the Blue earned the final point of set one with a block from Doerges and Smith and a 25-18 win. Set two remained within four points the entire stretch, with the Blue eventually down 24-20. After a much needed timeout, Wellesley stormed back with a 4-0 run to tie the set. However, a kill from Madrzyk and a service ace from Rajaee gave Wheaton a 26-24 win.

Wellesley set the tone for the third set, jumping out to a 13-7 lead in the middle of the frame. Smith recorded four kills, including three clutch kills late to secure a set and give Wellesley a 2-1 lead heading into the fourth. Once again the Blue jumped out of the gate hot and sprung to a 11-4 advantage. There would be no recovery for the Lyons, as Doerges recorded four consecutive Wellesley kills. The Blue hung on to secure the set 25-16, and win the overall match 3-1. 

Wheaton returns to action on Tuesday, October 12 when it hosts NEWMAC opponent Babson College at 7:00 p.m. Wellesley will welcome Suffolk University on October 9 at 2:00 p.m.