NORTON, Mass. — Senior outside hitter Celina Henn (Atwater, Calif.) put down nine kills and junior libero Jackie Hochberg (Tampa, Fla.) picked up 18 digs and fired three aces to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) women's volleyball team to a 3-0 (25-19, 25-17. 25-14) win over visiting Keene State College in the third match of a tri-match at Emerson Gymnasium on the campus of Wheaton in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons even their record at 6-6, while the Owls slip to 4-8.
Wheaton hit .212 or higher in every set and finished the contest with a .242 mark, while Keene State struggled with a .050 hitting clip, but did fire 11 aces.
Henn hit .250 in the match and added five digs, two aces and a block assist for the Lyons. Senior middle hitter Julia Wingler (Fuquay Varina, N.C.) swung for seven kills and hit .385 in addition to getting up for six total blocks, serving for an ace and picking up two digs. Sophomore setter Elena Timo (Bourne, Mass.) registered 11 assists, an ace and a dig.
Senior outside hitter Gigi Stake (Bedford, N.H.) and junior outside hitter Sarah Bartels (Fort Collins, Colo.) each put away four kills for the Owls. Stake also served for an ace to go with a block assist and a dig and Bartels recorded three block assists. Sophomore libero Delia Ryan (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) got down for 10 digs and an ace.
Wheaton got out to a 13-6 advantage midway through the opening set, backed by a pair of kills and an ace from Henn. Keene State chipped away with a 9-4 burst to close within 17-15, but the Lyons reeled off the next five points, including a kill from sophomore right side hitter Haley Jenkins (Dartmouth, Mass.), to give the home team a 22-15 cushion. The Owls scored the next three points to cut the deficit to 22-18, but it was as close as they would get, before Wingler put down a kill for the set's final point and a 25-19 win for Wheaton.
Senior middle blocker Annaliese Rudberg (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) put away a pair of kills as part of a 4-1 burst to open the second frame for Keene State. The Owls later held a 14-11 margin, but the Lyons roared back with a 14-3 run to close out the frame with a 25-17 final. First year setter Emily Cordell (Crawfordville, Fla.) fired an ace to end the set, while classmate Molly Gleason (Marstons Mills, Mass.) contributed to the final Wheaton offensive push with a kill and an ace and junior right side hitter Abbie Dixon (Manassas, Va.) spiked for a pair of kills during the stretch.
The Lyons left no doubt in the final set, opening the frame with an 8-2 lead behind a pair of kills and an ace from Henn. Wheaton led by five or more points for the remainder of the set and Keene State scored consecutive points just once during the rest of the frame. Senior middle hitter Hollis Hanson (Parker, Colo.) capped the Lyons' second win of the day with a kill to give them the set at 25-14 to sweep all three frames of the match.
Wheaton returns to action on Tuesday, September 23 when it hosts Babson College to open New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference play at 7:00 p.m. at Emerson Gymnasium, while the Owls head to New London, N.H. on the same night to play Colby-Sawyer College at the same time.
