SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Wheaton College (Mass.) women's volleyball team was turned back by host Springfield College, 3-0 (25-17, 28-26, 25-17), this evening in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference play at Blake Arena in Springfield, Mass.
The Lyons fall to 6-11 overall and 0-5 in league play, while the Pride win their 13th straight match to improve to 16-2 and a perfect 5-0.
Springfield hit .250 for the match, including .414 in the opening set and owned a 12-4 advantage in service aces, while Wheaton registered a .124 hitting mark.
Senior outside hitter Sydney Lyon (Weston, Conn.) swung for a match-high 13 kills and added five digs, an ace and a block solo for the Lyons, while classmate Celina Henn (Atwater, Calif.) put down eight kills on a .231 hitting clip to go with two digs and an ace. Junior setter Ajsa Orbán (Budapest, Hungary) set for 12 assists, got down for two digs and recorded a block assist and junior libero Jackie Hochberg (Tampa, Fla.) picked up a match-best 16 digs.
Junior setter Tori Colosimo (Fairport, N.Y.) led the Pride with 32 assists, two aces, five digs and a block assist, while junior middle blocker Jodi Saelua (Mililani, Hawaii) put away 11 kills on a torrid .556 hitting percentage and three total blocks. Senior outside hitter Emily Keaveney (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) contributed with seven kills, three aces and 10 digs and junior outside hitter Olivia Nealy (Athens, Ga.) scooped up 13 digs and got up for a block solo.
Lyon spiked for a kill to pull Wheaton even early in the opening set at 4-4. Henn also put down a kill to keep the Lyons within a point at 9-8, before Springfield scored seven of the next eight points to take a 16-9 advantage, behind a kill and an ace from Keaveney. The Pride kept Wheaton at bay, with a difference of six or more points for the remainder of the set. Springfield later owned a 21-12 margin for its biggest lead following a kill from Colosimo. First year middle blocker Aubrey Hughes (Liberty Hill, Texas) found the floor for the final point of the frame to give the home team a 25-17 set win and a 1-0 match lead.
Saelua swung for a kill to give the Pride a 9-5 lead in the second frame, before the Lyons roared back with an 8-3 run, capped by a kill and an ace from Henn to give Wheaton a 13-12 edge. The Lyons maintained a one-point difference at 16-15 after a kill from senior middle hitter Julie Wingler (Fuquay Varina, N.C.). Springfield scored the next three points and never trailed for the rest of the set. Wheaton knotted the score at 21-21 for the first of four ties before the end of the frame. Lyon put away a kill to pull the Lyons even at 26-26, but the Pride scored the final two points, including a kill from Keaveney to give Springfield a 2-0 match lead.
Springfield ripped off seven straight points en-route to a 10-2 cushion to open the third frame, but Wheaton shot back with five of the next six points, including two kills and an ace from Lyon to cut the deficit to 11-7. Junior right side hitter Mary Caroline Mazzanti (New Orleans, La.) kept the Lyons within 15-11 with a kill and a kill from Lyon kept Wheaton at 20-15. The Pride closed the set and the match with five of the final seven points to win the set at 25-17 and take the match in three frames.
The Lyons return to the court on Thursday, October 9 when they travel to Boston, Mass. to play Simmons University at 7:00 p.m., while Springfield heads to Amherst, Mass. on the same day to play Amherst College at the same time.
