NORTON, Mass. — The Wheaton College (Mass.) women's volleyball team had its perfect season record tarnished in a 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-22) loss to visiting Plymouth State University this afternoon at Emerson Gymnasium on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons dip to 7-1 on the season, while the Panthers win their fourth in a row and improve to 6-2.
Plymouth State trailed 22-16 in the opening set, but reeled off nine straight points to win the frame and never looked back after that.
Sophomore outside hitter Celina Henn (Atwater, Calif.) spiked for a match-high 13 kills to go with 11 digs and an ace to lead Wheaton, while classmate Sydney Lyon (Weston, Conn.) put down 10 kills on a .273 hitting mark to go with six digs and an ace. Senior setter Julianna Flack (Saint Petersburg, Fla.) set for 28 assists and served up three aces to go with six digs and first year libero Jackie Hochberg (Tampa, Fla.) scooped up 19 digs and added an ace.
Junior outside hitter Lilli Stogner (Weare, N.H.) swung for nine kills, added a pair of aces, a block assist and four digs to lead the Panthers. Senior middle hitter Nora Ryan (Groton, Conn.) contributed with eight kills on a .333 hitting percentage and added a pair of block assists. Sophomore setter Riley McDonough (Gilford, N.H.) nearly posted a double-double with 13 assists and nine digs, while junior defensive specialist Makayla Marucci (Newton, Mass.) picked up 10 digs and fired a pair of aces.
The teams were knotted at 8-8 in the opening set, before the Lyons put together a 10-4 run, including a pair of kills from Henn, to take an 18-12 advantage. Wheaton looked to be in control of the set, but Plymouth State came back to score nine unanswered points, including a pair of kills from senior middle hitter Aynslee King (Anacortes, Wash.), to stun the Lyons and take the frame, 25-22.
The Panthers scored five of the first six points to open the second set and later owned a 14-11 margin. Wheaton went on a 7-2 stretch to take an 18-16 lead, but Plymouth State scored the next five points to take the lead for good at 21-18. Henn spiked for a kill and Flack fired an ace to pull the Lyons to within 21-20, but the Panthers received three kills from Stogner to spark a 4-1 burst to take the set at 25-21.
Lyon put down a kill for Wheaton to give the home team a 5-3 lead early in the third set, before the Lyons clung to a 10-9 edge later in the set. The Panthers asserted themselves with a 10-3 run, capped by an ace from sophomore setter Kalista Butler (Philipsburg, Pa.) to take a 19-13 advantage. Plymouth State maintained a 23-19 margin, but Wheaton scored three straight points to cut the deficit to one at 23-22. It proved to be the Lyons' final points of the afternoon. The Panthers scored the next two points, including a kill from Ryan to give the visitors the set and the match.
Wheaton returns to the court on Tuesday, September 19 when it travels to Springfield, Mass. to take on Springfield College at 7:00 p.m. to open the New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference slate, while the Panthers host Saint Joseph's College (Maine) on the same night at 6:00 p.m.
