WATERVILLE, Maine – The Wheaton College (Mass.) women's volleyball team fell at Colby College, 3-0 (25-14, 25-12, 25-17), this evening at the Margaret M. Crook Center in Waterville, Maine.
The Lyons fall to 11-9 on the season, while the Mules win their eighth straight match to improve to 15-5.
Colby hit .277 in the match, including a pair of sets with a .333 or higher hitting mark.
Sophomore middle hitter Julia Wingler (Fuquay, N.C.) led Wheaton with six kills on a .231 hitting percentage to go with a pair of digs, while classmate Hollis Hanson (Parker, Colo.) produced four points with a pair of kills and two block solos in two sets. Senior setter Julianna Flack (Saint Petersburg, Fla.) set for 14 assists and picked up a pair of digs and first year libero Jackie Hochberg (Tampa, Fla.) got down for six digs in two frames.
Sophomore middle blocker Sydney Bopp (Austin, Texas) led all players with seven kills for the Mules in just 10 attempts for a .700 hitting mark and added four block solos and three digs. Sophomore outside hitter LG Grant (New York, N.Y.) contributed with six kills on a .357 hitting clip to go with a pair of digs, while sophomore defensive specialist Ali McKenney (San Carlos, Calif.) fired a match-high five aces in addition to a pair of digs. First year setter Allison Rodriguez (Irvine, Calif.) set for 19 assists and picked up five digs and first year libero Reanna Yadao (San Francisco, Calif.) led all defenders with 12 digs and served up an ace.
Colby held a slim 7-6 edge early in the opening set, before ripping off 10 straight points, including a pair of kills each from first year outside hitter Brady Moseley (San Juan Capo, Calif.) and first year right side hitter Sarah Friedrichs (Alexandria, Va.), to take a 17-6 advantage. The Mules took their largest lead at 23-11, before trading points to take the set at 25-14 for a 1-0 match lead. Colby hit .417 in the frame.
The Mules scored eight unanswered points to begin the second set, but the Lyons responded with an 8-3 run to cut the deficit to 11-8, behind a pair of kills from first year right side hitter Mary Caroline Mazzanti (New Orleans, La.). Flack later served for an ace to pull Wheaton to within 14-12, but Colby closed out the set with the final 11 points. McKenney fired four aces during the burst and Bopp put down a kill to end the set and give the home team the frame at 25-12 and put the Mules one set away from the match victory. The Lyons gifted their host with 10 points off attack errors during the set.
Colby scored five of the first seven points of the third set, but a 6-2 stretch, including two kills from sophomore outside hitter Sydney Lyon (Weston, Conn.), gave Wheaton an 8-7 margin. Wingler later swung for a kill to increase the Lyons' lead to 11-9, but the Mules took the lead for good with seven of the next eight points to take a 16-12 lead. Grant put down a trio of kills to pace the outburst for Colby. Wheaton stayed within 21-17, but the Mules scored the final four points, including an ace from first year outside hitter Sophie Broesamle (Seattle, Wash.), to secure the match victory.
Both teams return to action tomorrow. The Lyons take on Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine at 12:00 p.m. as part of a tri-match with Maine Maritime Academy, while Colby hosts Illinois Wesleyan University and Endicott College beginning at 11:00 a.m.
