BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Junior outside hitter Annah Shaheen (Portsmouth, N.H.) put down a career-high 16 kills to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) women's volleyball team over Amherst College, 3-2 (25-22, 25-15, 13-25, 22-25, 15-8), this afternoon at the NYU Invitational played at the Brooklyn Athletic Facility in Brooklyn, N.Y. 

The Lyons improve to 4-1 on the season, while the Mammoths fall to 2-1. The meeting was the first between the schools since 2013 and it was Wheaton's first win over Amherst since a 2-0 decision on October 21, 1993.

Wheaton fired 16 aces over five sets and owned a .161 hitting percentage.

Shaheen registered a .414 hitting percentage and added six digs and a pair of block assists for the Lyons, while first year outside hitter Sydney Lyon (Weston, Conn.) tallied 13.5 points with nine kills, four aces and a block assist to go with six digs. Senior right side hitter Bailey Madrzyk (Barrington, Ill.) swung for eight kills to go with three digs and a block assist. Senior setter Hannah George (Duxbury, Mass.) directed the offense with 26 assists and added three kills, an ace and nine digs. Senior libero Sophie Wilhelm (Saunderstown, R.I.) contributed on both sides of the net with 19 digs and six aces.

Senior rightside hitter Caroline Tilton (Santa Monica, Calif.) put away 13 kills and added seven digs and two block assists to lead Amherst. First year middle hitter Alexandra Trofort (Stamford, Conn.) spiked for 11 kills on a .304 hitting mark in addition to nine digs and a pair of block assists, while first year middle hitter Kinsey Cronin (Medford, Minn.) hit a lethal .643 with nine kills in 14 attempts and added four digs and a block assist. Junior setter Carly Cooper (Nashville, Tenn.) recorded 26 assists, fired two aces and got down for three digs, while Lizzie Papalia (Fisherville, Ky.) picked up 12 digs and served for an ace.

The Mammoths took control of the opening set with a 9-2 lead behind a pair of kills from senior outside hitter Sam Underwood (Los Angeles, Calif.) and later owned a 20-13 advantage. Wheaton ripped off six straight points, including a pair of aces and a kill from Lyon, to get back in the frame at 20-19. Amherst held a 22-20 margin, but the Lyons scored the next five points, including two kills from Shaheen and the set-winning kill from first year middle hitter Julia Wingler (Fuquay Varinca, N.C.) to close out the opening frame. 

Wheaton opened the second session with an 8-3 lead, before the Mammoths cut the deficit to one with four unanswered points at 8-7. The Lyons held a 14-12 lead before closing out the set with an 11-3 burst, fueled by four kills from Shaheen and a pair of aces from senior defensive specialist Ariana Rajaee (Marlborough, Conn.), to take a 25-15 set win and a 2-0 match lead.

Amherst evened the match with wins in set three and four. The Mammoths breezed through the third set at 25-13, but the fourth set was more of a battle. The teams were tied in the fourth set at 10-10, but the Mammoths went on a 13-6 stretch to take a 23-16 lead. Wheaton didn't quit, scoring the next six points, including two aces from junior Julianna Flack (Saint Petersburg, Fla.), to climb to within 23-22. Amherst scored the final two points to take the third frame 25-22.

The teams were knotted at 8-8 in the final set, before the Lyons took control and reeled off seven straight points, including two kills from Lyon and a pair of aces from Wilhelm, to take the victory.