NORTON, Mass. — The Wheaton College (Mass.) women's volleyball team came back from being down two sets, but succumbed to visiting Springfield College in five frames, 3-2 (25-18, 26-24, 21-25, 20-25, 15-9), in the New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference opener this evening at Emerson Gymnasium on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons dip to 6-7 overall and 0-1 in league play, while the Pride improve to 7-3 and 0-1.
Springfield hit .186 for the match, but came alive when it counted, hitting .389 in the fifth frame to take the match. Wheaton finished with a .182 hitting mark and forced the fifth set after swinging or a .294 clip in the fourth frame.
Junior outside hitter Celina Henn (Atwater, Calif.) swung for 14 kills on a .313 hitting mark in addition to scooping up seven digs, recording a block assist and an ace for the Lyons, while classmate Sydney Lyon (Weston, Conn.) put down 14 kills and came up with 12 digs for her sixth double-double of the year. She also fired three aces. Sophomore right side hitter Mary Caroline Mazzanti (New Orleans, La.) swung for nine kills and posted six total blocks, while sophomore setter Ajsa Orbán (Budapest, Hungary) registered 23 assists, four digs and an ace.
Senior outside hitter Riley Donahue (South Windsor, Conn.) spiked for a match-high 19 kills to lead the Pride and added 11 digs for her second double-double of the season to go with three aces and a block assist. Senior outside hitter Natalie Billet (Commack, N.Y.) contributed with 10 kills, three digs and two block assists, while junior setter Megan Kirtyan (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) set for 23 assists and picked up eight digs. Graduate student libero Kristen DeLorenzo (Syracuse, N.Y.) led all players with 16 digs and added an ace.
Springfield held an early 11-8 lead, before Wheaton reeled off five straight points, capped by a kill from sophomore right side hitter Abbie Dixon (Manassas, Va.), to give the home team a 13-11 margin. The Pride closed out the frame with a 14-5 stretch, fueled by a pair of aces and a kill from Donahue to win the opening set, 25-18.
Springfield faced a 13-9 deficit in the second set, before ripping off five straight points to take its first lead of the frame at 14-13. The Lyons answered with five consecutive points of their own to reclaim a four-point advantage of 18-14, but the Pride put together a 9-3 blitz, sparked by four kills from Donahue to give the visitors a 23-21 lead. Wheaton got a pair of kills from Lyon wrapped around a service ace from junior middle hitter Hollis Hanson (Parker, Colo.) to sit on set-point at 24-23. Springfield regrouped and tallied the final three points of the match, including a kill from Billet to give the Pride the set at 26-24 for a 2-0 match lead.
Springfield boasted a 13-11 lead midway through the third set, before the Lyons scored the next three points as part of a 6-1 blitz to give them the lead for good at 17-14. The Pride were able to pull even at 18-18, but Wheaton closed out the session with a 7-3 run to take the set at 25-21.
Springfield clung to a 12-11 edge in the fourth frame, but the Lyons roared back with seven straight points, including a kill and an ace from Lyon, to take an 18-12 cushion. The Pride never got closer than within four points the rest of the set, before Wheaton's 25-20 win forced the fifth and deciding frame.
Springfield scored six of the first eight points of the fifth set to take a 6-2 lead. The Lyons scored three of the next four points, including a kill from Mazzanti to pull Wheaton within 7-5. The Lyons were still within striking distance at 11-8, but the Pride closed out the night with a 4-1 run capped by a kill from sophomore middle blocker Jodi Saelua (Mililani, Hawaii) to win the set and the match.
Wheaton returns to action on Saturday, September 28 when it hosts conference foe Wellesley College at 11:00 a.m., while Springfield returns to the court on the same day at 1:00 p.m., hosting NEWMAC rival Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
