NORTON, Mass. — Sophomore outside hitter Sydney Lyon (Weston, Conn.) put away 14 kills and served up a career-high six aces to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) women's volleyball team over visiting University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 3-2 (27-25, 15-25, 25-18, 20-25, 15-10), this evening at Emerson Gymnasium on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons improve to a perfect 4-0, while the Corsairs fall to 2-3.
Wheaton fired 16 aces in the match, while UMass Dartmouth got up for eight blocks and bettered its host with a .197 hitting percentage to the Lyons' .180 mark.
Lyon also added eight digs and a block assist to her night for Wheaton, while sophomore outside hitter Celina Henn (Atwater, Calif.) swung for 13 kills on a .200 hitting mark to go with nine digs and a pair of aces. Sophomore middle hitter Hollis Hanson (Parker, Colo.) posted a .316 hitting percentage to contribute to a career-best nine-kill effort and two block assists, while classmate Julia Wingler (Fuquay Varina, N.C.) put down eight kills with a formidable .412 hitting mark in addition to a pair of blocks. Senior setter Julianna Flack (Saint Petersburg, Fla.) set for 36 assists, fired three aces and picked up eight digs, while first year libero Jackie Hochberg (Tampa, Fla.) got down for 17 digs and served for three aces.
Junior outside hitter Kate Wade (San Clemente, Calif.) led the Corsairs with 11 kills to go with 11 digs for a double-double and senior outside hitter Devon Laing (El Dorado Hills, Calif.) nearly recorded a double-double of her own with nine kills and nine digs to go with an ace and a pair of block assists. First year setter Skye Peters (Albuquerque, N.M.) set for 19 assists and scooped up five digs, while sophomore libero Emily Pogorelec (Wayne, N.J.) picked up 17 digs and fired four aces.
The opening set was closely played throughout with the Lyons taking the largest lead of the frame at 9-5. Lyon put down a kill to give the home team a 16-14 lead, but Wade swung for a pair of kills to fuel a 5-2 spurt to give UMass Dartmouth a 19-18 edge. Wheaton reclaimed the lead at 23-21, but the Corsairs scored the next three points to take a 24-23 edge with the fifth lead change in the final stretch of the set. The teams traded points, but the Corsairs still held match point at 25-24. The Lyons snatched victory away from them with three unanswered points, including a kill and two aces from Lyon to give Wheaton the set at 27-25.
UMass Dartmouth took an early 10-5 lead in the second session and never looked back, winning the set 25-15. Wade paced the effort with four kills to help the Corsairs knot the match at 1-1.
Wade scored with a pair of kills as UMass Dartmouth scored four of the first five points to open the third set. Wheaton came back with an 8-2 stretch to take a 9-6 lead, behind a pair of kills from Henn and later maintained a 16-11 margin. The Corsairs ripped off four straight points to close to within one at 16-15, but the Lyons countered with three points to increase their lead to 19-15. UMass Dartmouth cut the deficit to 20-18, before Wheaton closed out the frame with five unanswered points, including the last four from Lyon with three aces and a kill to take the set at 25-18.
Wheaton jumped out to a 7-3 margin in the fourth set and later held an 11-8 count, but the Corsairs scored seven of the next eight points, behind a pair of kills from senior middle hitter Maggie Sullivan (Acton, Mass.), to take a 15-12 lead. The Lyons pulled even with the next three points at 15-15, before UMass Dartmouth took the lead for good with the next four points giving it a 19-15 advantage. The visitors grabbed the set, 25-20, to force a match-deciding fifth frame.
Laing gave the Corsairs an 8-6 lead with a kill in the final set, but Wheaton regrouped and came roaring back with a 9-2 burst, fueled by two kills and an ace from Henn and capped by a kill from Lyon to take the set at 15-10.
Wheaton returns to action tomorrow when it heads to Poughkeepsie, N.Y. to compete in the Vassar Quad. The Lyons take on University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) at 2:00 p.m., before playing host Vassar College at 6:00 p.m. UMass Dartmouth is back on the court tomorrow as well in a tri-match with Suffolk University at 1:00 p.m. and host Regis College (Mass.) at 3:00 p.m.
