NORTHAMPTON, Mass. -- The Wheaton College (Mass.) women's volleyball team was defeated at host Smith College, 3-0 (25-22, 25-17, 25-19), this afternoon in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference play at Ainsworth Gymnasium in Northampton, Mass.

The Lyons fall to 7-14 overall and 0-7 in league play, while the Pioneers win their fourth straight to improve to 18-5 and 6-1.

Smith hit .229 for the match, while Wheaton hit .110.

Junior outside hitter Sydney Lyon (Weston, Conn.) swung for seven kills to go with seven digs and a block solo for the Lyons, while sophomore right side hitter Mary Caroline Mazzanti (New Orleans, La.) put down seven kills and added a block solo. Sophomore setter Ajsa Orbán (Budapest, Hungary) set for a match-high 21 assists in addition to scoring with four kills and two aces to go with a pair of digs. Sophomore libero Jackie Hochberg (Tampa, Fla.) led all players with 11 digs and also fired an ace for Wheaton.

Sophomore outside hitter Mia Etheridge (Half Moon Bay, Calif.) led the Pioneers with seven kills and a .375 hitting mark and added three aces and a trio of digs. Junior outside hitter Abby Hunt (Mandeville, La.) put away seven kills on a .235 hitting clip in addition to a pair of aces and three digs. Senior right side hitter Abby Sweeney (Spring, Texas) scored with four kills and four block solos and picked up a pair of digs, while graduate student setter Taylor Gwynne (Chapel Hill, N.C.) set for 17 assists, got up for a block solo and scooped up four digs. Senior libero Sarah Dankovich (El Paso, Texas) got down for nine digs and fired four aces.

The Lyons opened a 5-3 first set lead following a kill from junior middle hitter Hollis Hanson (Parker, Colo.). Smith put together an 18-5 run, fueled by three aces and two kills from Etheridge, to take a seemingly comfortable 21-10 lead. Wheaton responded with six unanswered points as part of a 12-2 blitz, capped by five straight points, to close within 23-22. Junior outside hitter Celina Henn (Atwater, Calif.) fired a pair of aces to contribute to the visitors' run. The Pioneers regrouped and scored the final two points of the frame, including a kill from Hunt to take the set.

Smith scored five of the first six points of the middle set and later maintained a 13-6 cushion after an ace from Dankovich. The Lyons tallied four of the next five points to cut the deficit to 14-10, but the Pioneers ripped off four points in a row and later owned a 19-11 margin. Wheaton came alive for four straight points to cut the margin to 19-15, before Smith closed the set with a 6-2 stretch, including another ace from Dankovich to deliver a 2-0 match lead.

The Lyons took an early 6-3 lead in the third set, but the home team put together a 9-2 string, paced by a pair of aces from Dankovich, to take a 12-8 advantage. Wheaton chipped away to make it 14-12, before Smith scored seven of the next nine points to take a 21-14 lead. The Pioneers held off the Lyons for the rest of the afternoon to take the set, 25-19, and the match in three frames.