NEWTON, Mass. – The Wheaton College (Mass.) women's volleyball team fell in four sets to host Lasell University, 25-23, 20-25, 25-11, 25-23, this evening at Lasell Athletic Center in Newton, Mass.

The Lyons slip to 1-2 on the season, while the Lasers improve to a perfect 3-0.

Lasell hit a healthy .239 for the match and hit .243 or better in three of four sets, while holding Wheaton to just .017, including a negative percentage in the third set. 

The Lyons were led by senior outside hitter Celina Henn (Atwater, Calif.), who tallied a match-high 18.5 points. She equaled her career best for the second straight match with six aces to go with 12 kills, a block assist and six digs. Senior outside hitter Sydney Lyon (Weston, Conn.) contributed with 11 kills, two aces, eight digs and an assisted block, while junior setter Ajsa Orbán (Budapest, Hungary) set for 28 assists, fired four aces, got down for six digs and registered a pair of block assists. Junior libero Jackie Hochberg (Tampa, Fla.) picked up 13 digs for Wheaton.

Senior setter Sydney Katz (Ridgefield, Conn.) was outstanding for the Lasers, assisting on 41 kills to go with four aces, 11 digs and a block assist. Senior middle blocker Morgan Bogli (Rockville, Conn.) swung for 11 kills, served up two aces and made a block assist and sophomore right side hitter Trinity Silva (Atascadero, Calif.) put down nine kills and got up for four blocks. First year outside hitter Estella Feenstra (Stratford, Conn.) chipped in with eight kills, three blocks and five digs. Senior libero Madeline Caro (San Diego, Calif.) led all players with 14 digs and added three aces.

Feenstra put away three kills to help fuel the first four points of the opening set for Lasell, before a 10-3 run from the Lyons gave them a 10-7 edge after Henn fired three aces and spiked for a pair of kills. The Lasers countered with a 7-2 burst to take a 14-12 margin and later maintained a 16-13 lead after a kill from senior outside hitter Andrea Aceituno (Tegucigalpa, Honduras). Wheaton put together a 9-2 stretch, capped by an ace from Orban, to take a 22-20 lead later in the frame. Lasell scored five of the final six points to take the set, 25-23.

The Lyons raced out to a 10-3 lead to open the second set, fueled by four kills and an ace from Henn. Wheaton dominated the frame and never trailed with the Lasers getting no closer than within 12-9 in the set. The Lyons increased their cushion to 22-15 after an ace from Lyon. Lasell closed to within 24-20 after a 5-2 spurt, backed by a pair of kills from Feenstra, but Henn put down the final kill to give Wheaton the set and even the match at 1-1.

The Lasers opened a 7-2 margin, including a pair of kills and a block from Silva, before the Lyons cut the deficit to 7-4 after a Henn ace. Wheaton stayed within 14-11, but Lasell ended the set with a blistering run, scoring 11 unanswered points to close out the frame. Katz backed the remarkable run with three aces, while junior middle blocker Victoria Pariseault (Exeter, R.I.) provided a kill and three blocks to capture the frame. 

The teams played within two points of each other until the Lyons put together a 7-2 run to take a 13-9 lead. Wheaton clung to a 14-13 edge, before the Lasers scored the next four points as part of a 9-3 run, led by a kill and a block each from Silva and Bogli, to give the home team a 22-17 lead. Lasell was a point away from winning the match at 24-21, but the Lyons pulled within 24-23. Aceituno swung for the final kill of the evening to deliver the set and the match to the Lasers.

Wheaton returns to the court on Friday, September 5 when it takes on Wesleyan University in Bristol, R.I. for a 4:00 p.m. match at Roger Williams University as part of the RWU Invitational. Lasell is in action again on September 6 when it travels to Worcester, Mass. to play Worcester Polytechnic Institute at 11:00 a.m.