NORTON, Mass. — The Wheaton College (Mass.) women's volleyball team was defeated by visiting Wellesley College, 3-0 (25-21, 25-19, 25-9), this morning in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference play at Emerson Gymnasium on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass. 

The Lyons slip to 6-8 overall and 0-2 in league play, while the Blue improve to 6-2 and 1-1.

Junior middle hitter Hollis Hanson (Parker, Colo.) led Wheaton with seven kills on a blistering .538 hitting mark to go with four total blocks and a dig, while classmate Celina Henn (Atwater, Calif.) swung for six kills, picked up seven digs and got up for a block assist. Sophomore setter Ajsa Orbán (Budapest, Hungary) set for 15 assists and added three digs and sophomore setter Jackie Hochberg (Tampa, Fla.) got down for 13 digs.

Sophomore outside hitter Kate Giang (Corte Madera, Calif.) put down a match-high 13 kills to lead Wellesley and added five aces to give her 18 points to go with a pair of digs. Sophomore outside hitter Evelyn Hill (Rocklin, Calif.) contributed with eight kills on a .316 hitting mark and fell a dig shy of a double-double with nine in addition to three aces. Sophomore setter Noelle Winn (San Francisco, Calif.) led all playmakers with 16 assists and added three aces and four digs, while junior libero Kaija Kunze-Hoeg (Eagan, Minn.) picked up a match-high 16 digs.

The Lyons began the day by scoring four of the first five points of the opening set, including a pair of kills from junior outside hitter Sydney Lyon (Weston, Conn.). Wheaton later maintained a 14-10 margin to match its largest lead and took a 16-13 advantage following a kill from Henn. The Blue scored eight of the next nine points to pull ahead and took a 21-17 lead following a kill from Giang. Wellesley maintained its lead and took the set following another kill from Giang for a 25-21 decision and a 1-0 edge in the match.

The Blue carried their momentum into the second set, racing out to a 6-1 cushion, including a pair of aces from first year middle blocker Logan Wilson (Woodside, Calif.). The Lyons ripped off five straight points, capped by a kill from sophomore defensive specialist Lillie Zickert (Gurnee, Ill.) to pull even at 6-6. Wellesley went on a 13-4 run, paced by a pair of kills from first year middle blocker Sarah Jin (San Jose, Calif.), to take the lead for good at 19-10. Wheaton answered with an 8-3 stretch to close within 22-18, but the Blue scored three of the final four points of the set to take a 2-0 match lead after taking the set, 25-19.

Wellesley established itself again to begin the third set, scoring seven of the first eight points to open a six-point advantage following a kill from Giang. First year middle hitter Haley Jenkins (Dartmouth, Mass.) and Hanson each recorded kills to help the Lyons close to within 8-3, but the Blue countered with seven unanswered points, including a pair of aces and a kill from Giang, to open up a 15-3 advantage. Wheaton closed the gap to 18-8, before the visitors ended the afternoon with a 7-1 blitz, including a pair of kills from Giang, to give Wellesley a 25-9 third set win and a 3-0 match victory.

The Blue return to action on October 1 when they host NEWMAC foe Babson College at 7:00 p.m., while the Lyons travel to New London, Conn. on the same day for a 6:00 p.m. conference contest with United States Coast Guard Academy.