NEW LONDON, Conn. -- The Wheaton College (Mass.) women's volleyball team was outlasted by host United States Coast Guard Academy, 3-2 (20-25, 25-19, 25-22, 21-25, 15-10), this afternoon in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference play at Roland Gymnasium in New London, Conn.

The Lyons dip to 5-6 overall and 1-3 in league play, while the Bears improve to 10-4 and 1-2.

First year outside hitter Sydney Lyon (Weston, Conn.) registered a career-high 13 kills and 16 digs for her second double-double in as many matches and also added an ace and two block assists to lead Wheaton, while senior right side hitter Bailey Madrzyk (Barrington, Ill.) spiked for nine kills to go with four block assists and a pair of digs. First year middle hitter Julia Wingler (Fuquay Varina, N.C.) registered 11.5 points, including six kills and eight total blocks to go with an ace and two digs. Senior setter Hannah George (Duxbury, Mass.) posted a double-double with 30 assists and 11 digs in addition to a pair of block assists and an ace. Senior libero Sophie Wilhelm (Saunderstown, R.I.) came up with 20 digs and fired four aces.

Sophomore outside hitter Shannon Shaw (Torrance, Calif.) matched Lyon with 13 kills for Coast Guard and added 17 digs, two aces and a block assist. Junior middle blocker Elizabeth Atkinson (Brookline, N.H.) put down nine kills and committed just one error for a stunning .533 hitting percentage to go with two solo blocks and senior setter Noelle Tursky (Fort Myers, Fla.) turned in 22 assists and 15 digs in addition to eight kills to fall just short of a triple-double. Junior defensive specialist Carmen Zipf (Melbourne, Fla.) got down for 18 digs and served up three aces.

The Lyons took an early 7-3 lead in the opening set following a Madrzyk kill, but a 9-4 run by the Bears, fueled by a pair of kills from Atkinson, gave them a 12-11 edge. The home team maintained a 17-15 lead, but Wheaton reeled off five straight points, including an ace from junior defensive specialist Isabel Coca (San Marcos, Calif.), to take a 20-17 lead and never looked back. Lyon put away a kill to give the Lyons the frame at 25-20.

The Bears took the next two sets to take a 2-1 match lead.

Coast Guard got out to a 12-6 margin on a pair of kills from Shaw and two aces from first year right side hitter Laila Baameur (Bakersfield, Calif.). Wheaton put together a 7-2 stretch, including two kills and an ace from Lyon to pull to within 14-13, but it was as close as it got before the Bears took the set, 25-19.

Coast Guard owned a 14-8 cushion midway through the third set, but the Lyons closed to within 18-16 after a Madrzyk kill and stayed with 24-22, before Shaw gave the Bears the set with a kill.

Wheaton bounced back to take set four to knot the match at two sets apiece. First year outside hitter Celina Henn (Atwater, Calif.) put down one of seven kills in the match to give the Lyons an 18-14 lead. First year outside hitter Allison Nystrom (Barnstable, Mass.) cut the deficit to 21-20 with a kill for Coast Guard, but the Lyons closed out the set with four of the final five points to take the frame at 25-21.

Wheaton continued its momentum to open the fifth set, winning four of the first five points to take a 4-1 lead, but the Bears countered with five of the next six to take a 6-5 edge. The Lyons reclaimed the lead at 7-6, but Coast Guard took the next three points to take the lead for good at 9-7. Wheaton was within 10-9, before the Bears put the match away with five of the next six points.

The Lyons return to the court on Tuesday, September 27 when they host NEWMAC foe Mount Holyoke College at 7:00 p.m. in Emerson Gymnasium, while Coast Guard heads to Worcester, Mass. to take on Clark University on the same day and time in conference play.