SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. -- The Wheaton College (Mass.) women's volleyball team fell in three sets to host Mount Holyoke College, 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-14), this evening in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference play at Mildred S. Howard Gymnasium in South Hadley, Mass.
The Lyons fall to 7-13 overall and 0-6 in league play, while MHC improves to 10-7 and 1-5.
Both teams posted proficient hitting numbers with Mount Holyoke posting a season-best .350 hitting clip and hit .324 or better in every set, while Wheaton finished with a .281 hitting mark and was no worse than .259 in any frame. MHC fired 14 aces for its seventh double-digit contest of its campaign.
Sophomore right side hitter Mary Caroline Mazzanti (New Orleans, La.) put down nine kills in addition to picking up a pair of digs and getting up for a block assist for the Lyons, while junior middle hitter Julia Wingler (Fuquay Varina, N.C.) swung for eight kills without committing an error for a blistering .667 hitting percentage and added a block assist. Junior Hollis Hanson (Parker, Colo.) was also very efficient in the middle with a .438 hitting mark to fuel an eight-kill evening. Sophomore setter Ajsa Orbán (Budapest, Hungary) set for 33 assists and got down for three digs, while sophomore libero Jackie Hochberg (Tampa, Fla.) scooped up 18 digs and fired three aces.
Junior middle hitter Elle Rimando (Mililani, Hawaii) was one of three MHC players with double-digit kills and led all players with 12 on a .320 hitting rate to go with a trio of aces and two digs. Senior outside hitter Lucie Berclaz (Yenz, Vaud, Switzerland) put down 10 kills on a .346 hitting mark and added three digs, while junior outside hitter Madeline Barton (Brookfield, Wis.) posted her sixth double-double of the season with 10 kills and 12 digs. Junior setter Sadie Duffrin (Minneapolis, Minn.) set for 35 assists and fired a match-high six aces and sophomore libero Kyra Staples (Chatham, Ill.) got down for 16 digs and served for three aces.
Mount Holyoke held a narrow 11-10 edge midway through the opening set, before expanding its margin with six unanswered points, including a pair of kills from Rimando, to take a 17-10 cushion. Wheaton roared back with seven straight points, including three aces from Hochberg and a pair of kills from Hanson, to knot the set at 17-17. Another kill from Hanson kept the frame tied at 19-19, before MHC closed out the set with a 6-2 burst, capped by an ace from Staples to give the hosts a 25-21 first-set win.
The Lyons took an early 6-3 lead, behind two kills from Hanson and a kill and an ace from junior outside hitter Celina Henn (Atwater, Calif.) in the middle set. Mount Holyoke scored the next three points with a kill from Berclaz serving as the equalizer. Neither team led by more than two points for the remainder of the set. Wheaton later owned an 18-16 lead, but MHC scored five of the next six points to take the lead for good at 21-19. Henn put away a kill for the visitors to close within 23-22, but Mount Holyoke claimed the next two points to take the set and a 2-0 match lead.
Wheaton was within 4-5 in the final set, before Mount Holyoke ripped off nine of the next 10 points, including a pair of aces from Duffrin, to take a 14-5 advantage. The Lyons scored three of four points with a kill from junior outside hitter Sydney Lyon (Weston, Conn.) cutting the deficit to 15-8. MHC put together a 7-1 blitz, paced by a pair of kills from Berclaz, to give the home team a comfortable 22-9 advantage. Wheaton went on a 5-1 run, including a pair of kills from Henn, to close within 23-14, but Mount Holyoke scored the final two points, including an ace from Rimando to give MHC the set and the match.
The Lyons return to Western Massachusetts for their next match when they take on NEWMAC rival Smith College at 12:00 p.m. in Northampton, Mass. as part of a tri-match, while Mount Holyoke travels to Springfield, Mass. for a conference match on the same day and time with Springfield College.
