ROCHESTER N.Y. – The Wheaton College (Mass.) women's volleyball team boasted three players with 10 or more points in a 3-0 (25-14, 25-17, 25-13) victory over Keuka College this afternoon at the UR Invitational hosted by University of Rochester at Louis Alexander Palestra in Rochester, N.Y.
The Lyons improve to 3-4 on the season, while the Wolves fall to 1-7.
Wheaton did not commit more than five attack errors in any set and finished the match with a season-best .369 hitting mark, while holding Keuka to a .069 hitting percentage.
Senior outside hitter Celina Henn (Atwater, Calif.) swung for 10 kills on a .400 hitting percentage to go with an ace, a block assist and six digs. Senior outside hitter Sydney Lyon (Weston, Conn.) and classmate Julia Wingler (Fuquay Varina, N.C.) both put down eight kills apiece for the Lyons. Lyon owned a .353 hitting clip and added two aces and four digs, while Wingler posted a robust .538 hitting percentage in addition to firing a pair of aces, going up for a solo block and getting down for four digs. Sophomore setter Elena Timo (Bourne, Mass.) set for 21 assists and picked up seven digs and junior libero Jackie Hochberg (Tampa, Fla.) scooped up a match-high 13 digs to go with an ace.
First year outside hitter Alessandra Castañeda (San Antonio, Texas) led the Wolves with seven kills and two aces, while picking up six digs. Junior outside hitter Nina Scott (Honeoye Falls, N.Y.) contributed with five kills, two digs and a block solo and first year setter Meaghan Knott (Kings Park, N.Y.) set for 10 assists, served up two aces and recorded a dig. Sophomore defensive specialist Gabby Rodriguez (Floresville, Texas) led the defense with seven digs and also found the floor for an ace.
Keuka held an early 7-6 edge in the opening set after a kill from Castañeda. Wheaton put together a dominant 16-3 run, fueled by five kills from Henn and two kills and an ace from Wingler, to build a 22-10 cushion. The Wolves scored the next three points capped by a Scott kill to cut the deficit to 22-13, but the Lyons responded in kind with the final three points of the set, including the last point on a kill from sophomore outside hitter Katie de la Pena (Castle Rock, Colo.).
Wheaton hit .438 as a team in the middle set, which was needed to counter Keuka's own offensive prowess that produced a .237 mark. The Wolves took a 2-1 edge on a kill from first year setter Phoebe Swartz (Candor, N.Y.), before the Lyons roared back with seven of the next eight points to take an 8-3 advantage. Lyon led the charge with three kills during the stretch. Wheaton later maintained a 15-10 lead, before scoring five of the next seven points, including a pair of kills from Wingler, to take a 20-12 margin. Keuka tallied four of the next five points to close within 21-16, but the Lyons scored four of the final five points, including a trio of kills from Henn, to take the set at 25-17, and give them a 2-0 lead in the match.
Wheaton scored eight of the first nine points to open the third frame as part of a 14-4 lead that saw sophomore right side hitter Haley Jenkins (Dartmouth, Mass.) put away a pair of kills to give the Lyons a double-digit lead. The Wolves countered with three unanswered points, including a pair of aces from Castañeda, but Wheaton countered with a 5-1 burst to take a 19-8 advantage. The Lyons scored six of the final eight points of the set, behind a pair of aces from junior right side hitter Abbie Dixon (Manassas, Va.), to close out the set and the match at 25-13.
Wheaton returns to the court to face host Rochester at 6:00 p.m., while Keuka takes on U of R. tomorrow at 11:00 a.m.
