BRISTOL, R.I. – Senior outside hitter Celina Henn (Atwater, Calif.) put down 15 kills and added five aces to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) women's volleyball team in a 3-2 (25-12, 25-17, 20-25, 24-26, 15-11) victory over Simmons University this morning in a neutral match at host Roger Williams University as part of the RWU Inviational at Paolino Recreation Center in Bristol, R.I.
The Lyons improve to 2-3 on the season, while the Sharks fall to 0-5.
Wheaton recorded the second-highest total for aces in a match with 26, falling just two shy of the school record of 28 set against State University of New York Potsdam on September 2, 2017.
Four players tallied at least five aces in the match for the Lyons.
Henn hit .250 for the match and picked up nine digs for Wheaton. Senior outside hitter Sydney Lyon (Weston, Conn.) spiked for 12 kills and hit .258 to go with a pair of aces and three digs, while senior middle hitter Julia Wingler (Fuquay Varina, N.C.) fired a career-high seven aces in addition to eight kills on a blistering .636 hitting clip to go with two block assists and a pair of digs. Sophomore setter Elena Timo (Bourne, Mass.) set for 19 assists and added a block assist and a dig, while junior libero Jackie Hochberg (Tampa, Fla.) got down for 10 digs.
Senior right side hitter Iliana Diaz (Staten Island, N.Y.) led Simmons with 12 kills on a .292 hitting mark to go with a block assist and junior outside hitter Hannah Pridgeon (Winter Garden, Fla.) spiked for eight kills and added 10 digs and an ace. Junior setter Sumaya Barre (Boston, Mass.) set for 16 assists, picked up seven digs and served up and ace, while junior libero Carolina Rodriguez (Carolina, Puerto Rico) scooped up a match-high 15 digs.
The Lyons jumped out to a 15-6 lead in the opening set behind a pair of kills and an ace from Henn. The Sharks scored the next three points, including an ace from Pridgeon, but it was as close as they would get for the rest of the frame. Wheaton closed it out with a 10-3 run, fueled by three kills from Henn and a trio of aces from Wingler, which contirbuted to 10 aces in the first set alone for the Lyons.
The teams were within two points of each other early in the second set, until Simmons took an 8-5 margin. Wheaton scored the next four points, including a pair of Henn kills, to grab a 9-8 edge, but the Sharks re-claimed the lead after a 5-2 burst gave them a 13-11 margin. The Lyons roared back with a torrid 12-1 run, bolstered by four of a career high five aces from junior defensive specialist Arianna Tanksley (Chesapeake, Va.), to give Wheaton a commanding 23-14 advantage. Simmons scored three straight points, capped by a kill from Pridgeon, but the next two belonged to the Lyons for a 25-17 set win and a 2-0 match lead.
The Sharks took the next two sets to force a fifth set for the match.
Simmons scored eight of the first 10 points of the third set and took a 13-5 lead, backed by a pair of kills from Diaz. Wheaton climbed within two at 17-15, following a 10-4 stretch, led by a pair of aces from Henn. It was as close as the Lyons would get as the Sharks scored seven of the next nine points to put them at set point, 24-17. Wheaton scored the next three points, including an ace from Lyon to make it 24-20, but Pridgeon put down a kill to give Simmons its first frame of the day.
The Sharks got out to a 17-14 lead in the fourth set, before Wheaton ripped off four straight points to take an 18-17 edge following a kill from sophomore outside hitter Katie de la Pena (Castle Rock, Colo.). Simmons scored four of the next six points to take a 21-20 lead, but the Lyons pulled ahead with three straight points and later owned set point at 24-23 after a kill from Lyon. The Sharks put the set away by scoring the final three points to set up the fifth frame.
Wheaton put together a dominant stretch to open a 10-2 cushion in the final set, thanks to a pair of kills from Timo to cap the stretch. Simmons battled back with a 9-4 string, including a pair of kills from Pridgeon, to cut the deficit to 14-11, before the Lyons scored the final point to claim the match.
Wheaton continues play when it takes on host Roger Williams at 4:00 p.m.
