PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Wheaton College (Mass.) women's volleyball team was defeated by host Johnson & Wales University (R.I.) 3-0 (25-23, 25-21, 25-22) this afternoon at the Wildcat Center in Providence, R.I.

The Lyons dip to 1-1 on the season, while the Wildcats improve to 3-0.

Johnson & Wales hit .257 or higher in every set and .289 for the match, while Wheaton owned a .208 hitting mark.

Senior outside hitter Celina Henn (Atwater, Calif.) led all players with 17 kills, while committing just two attack errors for a .517 hitting mark to go with a block assist, three digs and a career-high six aces for the Lyons. Senior outside hitter Sydney Lyon (Weston, Conn.) put down 11 kills and picked up eight digs, while junior libero Jackie Hochberg (Tampa, Fla.) got down for eight digs as well. Junior setter Ajsa Orbán (Budapest, Hungary) set for 16 assists and added eight digs and a block assist.

First year hitter Vivi Mansfield (Norwalk, Conn.) led the Wildcats with nine kills on a .286 hitting mark in addition to a trio of aces and three digs. Sophomore hitter Nevaeh Arnold (Alpharetta, Ga.) also spiked for nine kills behind a .240 hitting mark and got up for four block assists to go with seven digs. Senior libero Sierra Nausieda (Ada, Mich.) led all players with 12 digs in addition to a pair of aces and first year setter Sophia Santacroce (Toledo, Ohio) directed the offense with 19 assists and added five digs and an ace.

Johnson & Wales opened the match with a 6-2 lead in the first set and later held a 12-9 lead following a Nausieda ace. Henn took over for Wheaton, scoring the next six points with four aces and a pair of kills to give the Lyons a 15-12 margin. Wheaton held its largest lead of the set at 17-13, before the Wildcats scored six straight points, including two kills from Arnold, to take a 19-17 lead. The Lyons reclaimed the lead with the next three points and later held a 22-21 edge after a Henn kill, but Johnson & Wales scored four of the final five points to take the set at 25-23.

The Wildcats carried their momentum into the second set with six unanswered points to begin the frame and later owned an 11-6 cushion. Wheaton tallied five of the next six points, including a pair of kills from Henn, to cut the deficit to 12-11. The Lyons stayed within 13-12, but never took the lead in the set. Johnson & Wales put together a 7-2 run, including a pair of kills from senior hitter Katelyn O'Brien (Holmdel, N.J.), to take a 20-14 lead. An ace from Nausieda gave the home team a 23-18 margin, but Wheaton scored the next three points, including a pair of kills from Henn, to make it 23-21. The Wildcats scored the final two points to take the set and a 2-0 match lead.

First year hitter Brooke Caquelin (Longmont, Colo.) fired an ace to give Johnson & Wales an 11-8 lead, but Henn keyed a 6-1 burst with a kill and an ace to give the Lyons a 14-12 lead. Wheaton kept it a two-point margin at 15-13, but The Wildcats scored five of the next six points to take the lead for good at 18-16, behind a pair of kills from Arnold. The Lyons later knotted the score at 19-19 after an ace from Orbán, but Johnson & Wales ended the match with a 6-3 run to secure the victory after a kill from Mansfield.

Wheaton returns to the court on Wednesday, September 3 when it travels to Newton, Mass. to play Lasell University at 6:00 p.m., while the Wildcats head to Saratoga Springs, N.Y. to play State University of New York Oneonta on September 5 at 7:00 p.m.