HAVERFORD, Pa. -- The Wheaton College (Mass.) women's volleyball team battled host Haverford College to five sets, but succumbed in the final frame for a 3-2 (26-28, 25-18, 24-26, 25-17, 15-4) loss in the final match of the 2024 Haverford Invitational at Gooding Arena in Haverford, Pa.

The Lyons fall to 0-4 on the season, while the Fords improve to 3-1.

Wheaton junior outside hitter Sydney Lyon (Weston, Conn.) tallied 20 or more kills in every match that she played in more than one set to land a spot on the All-Tournament Team.

Lyon finished the match with 24 kills and added six aces and a block assist to give her a match-high 30.5 points for the Lyons. She hit .290 and added 18 digs for her second double-double of the weekend. 

Haverford struggled with its hitting early in the match but came on with marks of .323, .205, .265 and .357 in the final four sets for a .224 clip for the match. The Fords also held a decisive advantage in blocks (10-3) and aces (16-11). Wheaton owned a .174 hitting percentage for the match.

Junior middle hitter Hollis Hanson (Parker, Colo.) put down 11 kills on a .259 hitting mark and added a pair of block assists for the Lyons, while first year outside hitter Katie de la Pena (Castle Rock, Colo.) swung for eight kills, recorded two block assists and picked up three digs. Sophomore libero Jackie Hochberg (Tampa, Fla.) scooped up a match-best 24 digs and sophomore setter Ajsa Orbán (Budapest, Hungary) set for 29 assists, fired an ace and got down for six digs.

Junior outside hitter Eliana Brown (San Francisco, Calif.) led Haverford with 15 kills and 16 digs for the team's only double-double, while sophomore right side hitter Gia Frank (Van Nuys, Calif.) was 14 for 23 in attack attempts without committing a hitting error for a formidable .609 hitting percentage. Both players were All-Tournament selections. Junior right side hitter Izabela Potocnjak (Gilbert, Ariz.) tallied 18 points on eight kills and nine aces to fall just one short of tying the school record from behind the service line. Junior setter Cameryn DeBlecourt (Lockport, Ill.) set for 24 assists to go with six digs and a pair of aces.

The Fords led for the majority of the opening set and took a 19-16 lead following a kill from Brown, before Wheaton came alive with four unanswered points, including two kills from Lyon to give the Lyons their first lead at 20-19. Haverford reclaimed the lead with four straight points and sat on set point with a 24-21 margin, before Wheaton roared back with four consecutive points, including an ace to give the Lyons set point at 25-24. The Fords took the next two points, but Wheaton had the final say with three unanswered points to pull out the frame at 28-26. 

Despite four ties, Haverford never trailed in the second set. The home team scored six of the first seven points to open the frame and held an 8-2 lead after an ace from junior setter Kayla Chu (Sierre Madre, Calif.). The Lyons battled back with a 7-1 burst, fueled by three kills from Lyon, to pull Wheaton even at 9-9. Sophomore right side hitter Mary Caroline Mazzanti (New Orleans, La.) kept the deadlock intact with a kill to give the teams a matching 15 points. The Fords closed out the set with a 10-3 run to take the frame at 25-18 and even the match at 1-1. Haverford scored six of the final seven points, including three kills from Potocnjak.

The third set saw seven lead changes and nine ties, while neither team led by no more than four points. The Fords owned a 20-16 margin, before the Lyons ripped off four straight points, including two from de la Pena to pull the visitors even at 20-20. The teams traded the lead twice and sat tied at 24-24 preceding a kill from Lyon and an ace from Hochberg to give Wheaton a 2-1 match lead.

Haverford led by as many as seven points early in the fourth set at 13-6, but the Lyons showed their resiliency with a 9-2 stretch, paced by three kills and an ace from Lyon, to knot the frame at 15-15. It was the first of three ties, but Wheaton was unable to pull in front. The Fords reeled off the final eight points, including three aces from Chu, to ring up a 25-17 outcome. 

Lyon put down a pair of kills to start the fifth and deciding set for the Lyons, but Haverford ripped off 12 points to take a commanding 12-2 advantage. Potocnjak highlighted the definitive run with three aces and a kill for the Fords. Wheaton managed just two points the rest of the way, before Haverford closed out the frame and the match.

The Lyons and the Fords both return to the court on Friday, September 6 at 7:00 p.m. Wheaton heads to Pougkeepsie, N.Y. to take on Vassar College, while Haverford travels to St. Davids, Pa. to play Eastern University.