NORTON, Mass. – The Wheaton College (Mass.) women's volleyball team was defeated by visiting Endicott College, 3-0 (25-22, 25-14, 25-19), this evening at Emerson Gymnasium on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons dip to 7-17 on the season, while the Gulls extend their win streak to 10 straight and improve to 16-5.
Endicott hit .186 for the match, while Wheaton posted a .029 hitting mark.
Sophomore right side hitter Mary Caroline Mazzanti (New Orleans, La.) swung for 10 kills and added a dig and a block assist to lead the Lyons. Junior outside hitter Sydney Lyon (Weston, Conn.) chipped in with eight kills, four digs, two aces and a pair of block assists and classmate Celina Henn (Atwater, Calif.) tallied 9.5 points with seven kills, an ace and three block assists to go with a dig. Sophomore setter Ajsa Orbán (Budapest, Hungary) set for 22 assists and added five digs, while sophomore libero Jackie Hochberg (Tampa, Fla.) got down for 13 digs.
Sophomore Hadley Helenbrook (Atlanta, Ga.) spiked for 15 kills and hit .393 for the match to go with 10 digs for her ninth double-double of the season in addition to firing three aces and getting up for a pair of block assists for the Gulls. First year outside hitter Ava Grace Dresback (Pawcatuck, Conn.) contributed with 10 kills on a .286 hitting clip to go with four digs, while first year setter Hannah Maguire (San Jose, Calif.) directed the offense with 26 assists in addition to picking up seven digs and recording three block assists. Senior libero Emma Ruel (Duxbury, Mass.) got down for a match-high 14 digs to lead Endicott's defensive effort.
The Gulls grabbed an early 9-4 lead in the opening set, fueled by five kills from Dresback. Wheaton matched the opening burst, putting together a 9-3 stretch, paced by three kills from Lyon, to give the home team a 13-12 edge. Wheaton later increased its lead to 18-15. The Lyons held onto a 22-20 margin, before Endicott asserted itself and tallied the final five points of the set, including three kills from Helenbrook, to take the frame, 25-22.
The teams were tied early at 3-3 in the middle set, before the Lyons stayed within a point at 7-6, following a kill from Henn. The Gulls went on a 9-4 run with two kills apiece from Dresback and Helenbrook, to expand their cushion to 16-10. Endicott maintained a 19-14 margin, before ripping off the final six points of the set to secure a 25-14 decision and take a 2-0 match lead.
Wheaton opened an early 5-2 lead, including a kill and an ace from Lyon and later owned leads of 8-6 and 9-8 in the third set. The Gulls scored six unanswered points to take a 14-9 lead and later owned an 18-12 margin after junior right side hitter Sophie Breitenbach (Newport, R.I.) put down a kill. The Lyons had one final rally in them, scoring four straight points to pull within 18-16, but it was as close as they would get for the remainder of the night. Endicott outscored its host, 7-3, to come away with a 25-19 third set triumph to complete the match sweep.
Wheaton returns to the court when it heads to Clinton, N.Y. to play host Hamilton College at 11:00 a.m., before taking on William Smith College at 1:00 p.m. in a tri-match, while the Gulls host Western New England University at 1:00 p.m. in Conference of New England play on October 26.
