NORTON, Mass. — Sophomore outside hitter Sydney Lyon (Weston, Conn.) scored a match-high 22.5 points, including 18 kills to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) women's volleyball team over visiting Smith College, 3-2 (31-29, 25-19, 18-25, 17-25, 15-12), in a New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference match at Emerson Gymnasium on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons improve to 11-6 overall and 3-4 in league play, while the Pioneers fall to 13-8 and 5-2.
Wheaton opened the match with a marathon 31-29 first set victory that saw it own set point four times in the match, before finally closing it out. The Lyons took the second frame, 25-19, and looked to do what no other team this season has done – defeat Smith in three sets. The Pioneers kept their streak alive by winning the next two sets to force a fifth frame, before Wheaton took the set, 15-12, and the match, 3-2, to increase its perfect mark in five-set contests to 5-0.
The Lyons owned a .195 hitting percentage, while Smith hit .215.
Lyon added 10 digs for her eighth double-double of the season for Wheaton. Sophomore outside hitter Celina Henn (Atwater, Calif.) spiked for 12 kills on a .346 hitting clip to go with nine digs, an ace and a block assist, while classmate Julia Wingler (Fuquay Varina, N.C.) matched her with a career-best 12 kills fueled by a .276 hitting percentage. Wingler also got up for five blocks, including a pair of solos. Sophomore middle hitter Hollis Hanson (Parker, Colo.) was also very efficient with a .316 hitting mark as part of 10 kills and got up for three blocks. Senior setter Julianna Flack (Saint Petersburg, Fla.) directed the offense with a match-high 48 assists to go with 15 digs, four blocks and an ace.
Sophomore outside hitter Abby Hunt (Mandeville, La.) led the Pioneers with 18 kills on a .244 hitting mark and added nine digs and four block assists, while junior right side hitter Abby Sweeney (Spring, Texas) put down 11 kills on a .526 hitting clip to go with five block assists. First year setter Ruby Woodward (Winchester, Mass.) set for 23 assists and got down for seven digs, while junior outside hitter Ari Cross (Milwaukee, Wis.) picked up 10 digs in addition to five kills, an ace and a block assist. Sophomore middle blocker Miranda Oakes (San Francisco, Calif.) was a force at the net with eight total blocks and added five kills.
The teams were knotted at 9-9, before Smith ripped off five straight points, including two kills from junior outside hitter Sarah Dankovich (El Paso, Texas), to take a 14-9 lead. The visitors maintained an 18-14 margin, before the Lyons tied the frame at 19-all after a 5-1 burst that included a kill and an ace from Henn. Smith later held set point at 24-22, but Wheaton scored the next three points, including a kill from Henn to give them set point at 25-24. It was the first of four set points for the home team. The Pioneers owned set point on two more occasions as well, including 27-26. The teams were deadlocked at 29-29, before Lyon put down the final two kills of the frame to give the Lyons a 1-0 match lead.
The NEWMAC rivals battled back and forth in a tight second set and were tied at 18-18, before six unanswered points, backed by four kills from Lyon, gave Wheaton a 24-18 lead. Wingler swung for the final kill of the frame for a 25-19 outcome to give the Lyons the first two frames of the match.
Wheaton looked to hand Smith its first three-set loss of the season, but it wasn't to be.
The Pioneers opened the first four-point margin of the third set at 18-14 and maintained a 22-17 lead, before scoring three of the final four points to take the third frame. Hunt put away the final kill of the set for a 25-18 set win to cut the match deficit to 2-1.
The Lyons hung onto a 10-9 edge in the fourth set, but Smith reeled off four straight points as part of a 5-1 burst that included a pair of kills from Hunt, to give the Pioneers a 14-11 lead. Smith later claimed an 18-15 lead, before scoring seven of the final nine points, including two kills from Sweeney and a set-ending kill from Hunt to knot the match at 2-2.
Wheaton opened the fifth frame with a 3-1 lead, before the Pioneers ripped off six straight points, including two kills from Hunt, to take a 7-3 advantage. Smith later held onto a 9-6 margin, but four unanswered points, including two aces and a kill from Lyon, gave the Lyons the lead for good at 10-9. The Pioneers later climbed to within 12-11 after a kill from junior right side hitter Fiona Hegarty (Tustin, Calif.), but Wheaton closed the set and the match with three of the final four points, including the final kill from Wingler.
