WELLESLEY, Mass. – The Wheaton College (Mass.) women's volleyball team was defeated by host Wellesley College, 3-1 (22-25, 25-16, 25-21, 25-22), in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference play this afternoon at Dorothy Towne Fieldhouse in Wellesley, Mass.
The Lyons dip to 6-8 overall and 0-2 in NEWMAC play, while the Blue improve to 6-5 and 1-1.
Neither team hit very well during the match with Wellesley swinging it at .131 for the afternoon and Wheaton owning a .076 hitting percentage.
The Lyons took the opening set, before the Blue claimed the final three frames to take the match.
Senior outside hitters Celina Henn (Atwater, Calif.) and Sydney Lyon (Weston, Conn.) each put down a dozen kills to lead Wheaton. Henn added 17 digs for her third double-double of the season in addition to a pair of aces, while Lyon picked up 11 digs for her third double-double as well. She also fired an ace and got up for a block assist. Junior right side hitter Mary Caroline Mazzanti (New Orleans, La.) swung for eight kills to go with a pair of digs and two block assists. Junior setter Ajsa Orbán (Budapest, Hungary) registered 18 assists, two aces and a block and junior libero Jackie Hochberg (Tampa, Fla.) came up with 25 digs and an ace.
Senior Kaija Kunze-Hoeg (Eagan, Minn.) led all players with 13 kills for Wellesley, while adding 22 digs and four aces. Sophomore middle blocker Sarah Jin (San Jose, Calif.) put down 10 kills and got up for four blocks, while sophomore setter Else Kunze-Hoeg (Eagan, Minn.) set for 21 assists, got down for 14 digs and fired a trio of aces.
The Lyons' offense came out firing, taking a 9-1 lead to open the match in the first set, fueled by a pair of aces from Henn. Wheaton later owned an 11-4 margin after a Lyon kill, before four straight points cut the deficit to 11-8 for the home team. Wheaton increased its advantage to 16-9, before a string of four unanswered points, capped by a kill from Kaija Kunze-Hoeg, pulled the Blue to within 16-13. The Lyons put together an 8-3 run, bolstered by a pair of kills from Henn, to put them at set point. Wellesley fought back, reeling off six straight points, including a pair of aces and a kill from Kaija Kunze-Hoeg, to come within 24-22. Wheaton finally put the frame away with the next point to take a 1-0 match lead.
The Blue took an 11-4 advantage early in the second set. The Lyons scored four of the next five points, to pull within 12-8, including three kills from senior middle hitter Julia Wingler (Fuquay Varina, N.C.). Wellesley shook off the challenge with seven straight points, including a pair of kills each from sophomore middle blocker Logan Wilson (Woodside, Calif.) and Kaija Kunze-Hoeg, to take a 19-8 cushion. Wheaton punched back with six unanswered points to cut the difference to 19-14. The Blue closed out the frame with a 6-2 run, including a kill from junior outside hitter Evie Hill (Rocklin, Calif.), to knot the match at 1-1.
The Lyons got out to a 6-4 lead in the third set, before Wellesley scored nine of the next 10 points, to take a 13-7 lead. The Blue maintained an 18-12 advantage following a kill from first year middle blocker Natalie Dabrowski (Chicago, Ill.), but Wheaton battled back to within a point at 20-19 after a 7-2 burst, capped by a Wingler kill. Wellesley scored five of the final seven points to take the frame and a 2-1 match lead.
The Lyons led again, early in the final set at 11-7, paced by three kills from Lyon. An 11-3 stretch, backed by a pair of kills and an ace from Kaija Kunze-Hoeg, put the Blue on top at 18-14 and they never looked back. The home team later owned a 22-17 margin after an ace from Else Kunze-Hoeg, but Wheaton closed within two points at 24-22, following a string that saw Mazzanti put down four kills. Dabrowski recorded the final kill of the afternoon to give Wellesley the win.
The Lyons return to the court on Tuesday, September 30 when they travel to Cambridge, Mass. to play No. 16 Massachusetts Institute of Technology at 6:00 p.m. in NEWMAC play, while the Blue head to Babson Park, Mass. to take on Babson College on the same night at 7:00 p.m.
