NORTON, Mass. — The Wheaton College (Mass.) women's volleyball team fell in four sets to visiting United States Coast Guard Academy, 3-1 (25-11, 26-24, 20-25, 29-27), this evening in a New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference match at Emerson Gymnasium on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons slip to 7-4 overall and 0-3 in NEWMAC play, while the Bears improve to 11-4 and 1-2.
Coast Guard looked to establish the tone right away, hitting .574 without committing an attack error in the opening set, while Wheaton couldn't get on track with a -.045 mark in the frame. The Bears hit .265 for the match and were strong at the net with 10 total blocks.
Sophomore outside hitter Celina Henn (Atwater, Calif.) led the Lyons with 12 kills and a career-best 18 digs to go with a pair of aces, while classmate Julia Wingler (Fuquay Varina, N.C.) chipped in with eight kills and four block assists. Sophomore outside hitter Sydney Lyon (Weston, Conn.) put down eight kills and first year right side hitter Mary Caroline Mazzanti (New Orleans, La.) registered a personal-best seven kills. Senior setter Julianna Flack (Saint Petersburg, Fla.) fired a pair of aces to go with a double-double of 26 assists and 10 digs and first year libero Jackie Hochberg (Tampa, Fla.) picked up 13 digs and added an ace.
Junior outside hitter Shannon Shaw (Torrance, Colo.) spiked for a match-high 15 kills and committed just one error to post a .400 hitting mark to lead Coast Guard. She added two block assists and a dig to her night for Coast Guard, while senior outside hitter Sophia Galdamez (Cardiniff, Calif.) swung for 14 kills on a .333 hitting percentage to go with a pair of digs. Sophomore middle hitter Allie Wildsmith (Bainbridge, Wash.) contributed with eight kills, six blocks, including two solos and two aces. First year setter Mackenzie Murnane (Castle Hayne, N.C.) directed the offense with a career-high 35 assists in addition to three aces and 12 digs, while junior libero Kaela France (Calhan, Colo.) got down for 15 digs.
The Bears held an early 3-2 edge in the first set, before ripping off eight straight points, including two aces from senior defensive specialist Carmen Zipf (Melbourne, Fla.), to take an 11-2 lead. Coast Guard extended its lead to 16-4 after an ace and a kill from Wildsmith. The visitors scored the final two points of the frame with a kill each from first year Abigail Schweitzer (Emmaus, Pa.) and Galdamez to take the set at 25-11.
Wheaton held a 12-10 margin in the second set, before the Bears went on a 6-1 run to take the first three-point lead of the set at 16-13. Coast Guard looked primed to ease into a 2-0 match lead with a 23-19 lead, but the Lyons scored the next five points to take a 24-23 lead and hold match point. Flack fired a pair of aces to put them in position for the set win. The Bears shook off the challenge and tallied the final three points, including an ace from Murnane to take the set at 26-24 and a 2-0 match advantage.
Wheaton maintained a 17-16 edge after five lead changes to that point in the set, before scoring four straight points to increase their cushion to 21-16, following a kill from sophomore middle hitter Hollis Hanson (Parker, Colo.). Coast Guard matched the home team with four straight points of its own, capped by a kill from Wildsmith, to cut the deficit to 21-20. Henn fired a pair of aces and Hanson put down another kill to fuel a four-point finish for the Lyons to take the set at 25-20.
The teams were knotted at 9-9 in the fourth frame, before the Bears ripped off five unanswered points as part of a 6-1 stretch that gave them a 17-10 advantage. Wheaton scored six of the next seven points to pull to within 18-16 and later tied the frame at 22-22 after four straight points. Coast Guard scored the next two points to sit on set and match point at 24-22, but the Lyons answered with four of the next five points, including a pair of kills from Lyon, to take a 26-25 edge. The teams traded points, including a kill from Wingler to keep Wheaton in front at 27-26, but the Bears remained composed and scored the final three points of the match, including a kill from Shaw to give them the win.
Coast Guard returns to action on Saturday, September 30 when it hosts NEWMAC foe Worcester Polytechnic Institute at 1:00 p.m., while the Lyons host Babson College in NEWMAC play at Emerson Gymnasium for an 11:00 a.m. start.
