NORTON, Mass. — The Wheaton College (Mass.) women's volleyball team was defeated by visiting Babson College, 3-1 (25-17, 25-22, 24-26, 25-15) today in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conferenece play at Emerson Gymnasium on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass. 

The Lyons slip to 7-5 overall and 0-4 in league play, while the Beavers win their 11th straight to improve to 14-1 and 4-0.

A staggering 59 combined points were either earned or given away at the service line by both teams during the match with Wheaton firing a match-high 16 aces, while committing 13 service errors and Babson registering 15 aces and 15 errors from the backline.

The Beavers hit .206 for the match, while the Lyons were just on the positive side with one more kill than attack error.

Sophomore outside hitter Sydney Lyon (Weston, Conn.) led Wheaton with 12.5 points, including seven kills, five aces and a block assist in addition to three digs, while classmate Celina Henn (Atwater, Calif.) spiked for eight kills and matched her career high with four aces. She also picked up eight digs. Sophomore middle hitter Julia Wingler (Fuquay Varina, N.C.) tallied 10 points on four kills, a career-best four aces and four block assists. Senior setter Julianna Flack (Saint Petersburg, Fla.) set for 20 assists, scooped up nine digs, got up for three block assists and put down four kills, while first year libero Jackie Hochberg (Tampa, Fla.) registered 16 digs.

Senior setter Ruby Reich (Atlanta, Ga.) fired a career-high 10 aces as part of her first collegiate triple-double with 12 assists and 10 digs, while junior hitter Lauren Gips (Orlando, Fla.) added 13.5 points, including 10 kills to lead Babson. Gips also hit .368 for the match and added an ace, three block assists and a pair of digs for Babson. Senior hitter Erin Gray (Oakland, Calif.) contributed with eight kills, three digs, an ace and three blocks, including a pair of solos and junior defensive specialist Tatum Stelter (Glendale, Ariz.) got down for 17 digs to go with an ace. 

The Beavers held a 9-8 edge early in the opening set and later opened a 16-12 margin, before two aces and a kill from Lyon pulled the home team within one at 16-15. The Lyons stayed close at 19-17, but Babson put together a torrid run to close out the frame with six straight points, including two kills each from first year hitter Natalie Molendyk (Danville, Calif.) and Gips.

The Beavers owned an early 8-4 lead in the second set, before Wheaton went on an 8-2 burst to take a 12-10 lead. Babson answered with an 8-3 stretch, including three aces from Reich to take an 18-15 lead, before the teams were knotted at 22-22 following a kill from Wingler. The Beavers scored the final three points to take the set and a 2-0 match lead.

Babson looked primed to take the match in three sets after taking a 10-3 lead, including two aces from Reich, but the Lyons answered the bell with a 7-1 blitz of their own to close to within 11-10. The Beavers hung on to a 14-12 margin, before Wheaton roared back again with seven unanswered points, including a pair of kills from Henn to take a 19-14 lead. The Lyons maintained a 22-17 cushion, but Babson wouldn't quit, scoring seven straight points to sit at set and match point with a 24-22 lead. Wheaton extended the match with the final four points of the frame to win the set, 26-24.

The teams were tied at 9-9 in the fourth set, before the Beavers went on a 15-4 run, including three kills apiece from Gips and Molendyk, to take a 24-13 lead. Babson traded the last four points with its host to win the frame, 25-15, and earn the road victory.