NORTON, Mass. — The Wheaton College (Mass.) women's volleyball team was defeated by visiting No. 4 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 3-0 (25-9, 25-18, 25-19), this evening in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference play at Emerson Gymnasium on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons fall to 7-16 overall and 0-8 in league play, while the Engineers, who are ranked in the most recent American Volleyball Coaches Association national poll, remained unblemished at a perfect 21-0, including 8-0 in the league. MIT has won 21 straight matches to open the season for the third time in school annals and the first time since 1988.
MIT hit .348 for the match and registered a hitting mark of no lower than .270 in any set. Wheaton posted a 0.67 hitting clip for the match.
Junior outside hitter Sydney Lyon (Weston, Conn.) put down a match-high 10 kills on a .250 hitting mark in addition to picking up four digs for the Lyons and classmate Hollis Hanson (Parker, Colo.) collected 5.5 points on four kills and three block assists in addition to a dig. Sophomore libero Jackie Hochberg (Tampa, Fla.) led all players with 10 digs and sophomore setter Ajsa Orbán (Budapest, Hungary) contributed with 12 assists, five digs and a block assist.
First year outside hitter Julia Tolstova (Redlands, Calif.) spiked for nine kills to lead the Engineers and boasted a .438 hitting mark to go with three digs and an ace in two sets for the visitors. Junior middle hitter Ali Gibbs (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) swung for seven kills and committed just one attack error as part of a .545 hitting effort to go with an ace, a block assist and three digs. Junior defensive specialist Daphne Gavros (Bel Tiburon, Calif.) came up with eight digs and fired a pair of aces, while sophomore setter Kayleigh May (Camarillo, Calif.) set for 24 assists, got up for a pair of block assists and picked up two digs.
Wheaton opened a 4-3 edge early in the first set, before the Engineers knotted the match at 4-4 and Gavros served 14 straight points, backed by three kills from senior outside hitter Ella Gragg (Morganton, N.C.), to take a commanding 18-4 lead. The Lyons were unable to recover from the overwhelming offensive stretch and succumbed, 25-9, following a kill from first year outside hitter Jessie Trapp (Elmhurst, Ill.) to cap the frame for MIT.
The Engineers took a 5-2 lead early in the middle set, before Wheaton scored five of the next six points, capped by an ace from sophomore right side hitter Mary Caroline Mazzanti (New Orleans, La.), to pull the Lyons even at 6-6. The score remained tied at 8-8 and Wheaton trailed by just one following a kill from Lyon to make it 11-10. MIT put together an 8-3 burst, including an ace from Trapp to give the Engineers a 19-13 margin. MIT maintained its lead to finish the frame with a 25-18 win to give it a 2-0 match lead.
The Engineers led early again in the final set, 5-3, before Wheaton responded with an 8-1 stretch, fueled by aces from first years Elena Timo (Bourne, Mass.) and Katie de la Pena (Castle Rock, Colo.), to take its largest lead of the night at 11-6. MIT knotted the score after five straight points, including a pair of kills from Tolstova, to make it 11-11. The Lyons later held leads of 14-13 and 16-15, before the Engineers scored six of the next seven points to take the lead for good at 21-17. Lyon later put down a kill for Wheaton to cut the deficit to 22-19, but MIT tallied the final three points, including a kill from junior right side hitter Claire Underwood (Yorba Linda, Calif.) to end the match at 25-19.
The Lyons return to the court on Thursday, October 24 when they host Endicott College at Emerson Gymnasium for a 7:00 p.m. start, while the Engineers play on October 25 when they host Middlebury College at 7:00 p.m.
