NASHUA, N.H. — The Wheaton College (Mass.) men's volleyball team came up short in search of the first win in program history after holding a 2-0 match lead, but fell to Russell Sage College, 3-2 (23-25, 19-25, 25-17, 25-19, 15-12), this afternoon in a tri-match at the Muldoon Center at host Rivier University in Nashua, N.H.

The Lyons drop to 0-2 on the season, while the Gators improve to 1-4.

Wheaton hit .205 for the match, while Sage hit .300 or better in each of the final three sets to finish with a .228 overall hitting mark. 

First year outside hitter R. Bennett Chiappetta (Middlefield, Conn.) led the Lyons with 12 kills on a .360 hitting clip and added a dig, while sophomore outside hitter Connor Lloyd (Swansea, Mass.) put down nine kills, picked up eight digs, fired an ace and got up for two blocks. First year setter Jacob Hoy (Essex Junction, Vt.) set for 27 assists, got down for six digs, fired two aces and recorded three block assists.

Junior right side hitter Dylan Fox (Albany, N.Y.) and senior outside hitter Sean Pingelski (Clifton Park, N.Y.) each swung for a match-high 15 kills for the Gators. Fox hit .448 for the match and added four aces, six digs and a pair of block assists and Pingelski picked up eight digs, served an ace and assisted on a block. Sophomore setter Anthony Guetti (Clifton Park, N.Y.) set his teammates up for 43 assists, fired a pair of aces, picked up eight digs and got up for two blocks.

Fox put away a pair of kills to fuel a 7-2 Sage run to open the fifth and deciding set, but Wheaton answered with five straight points to knot the frame at 7-7. Fox provided the next three points for the Gators to give them a 10-7 margin. The Lyons closed to within 12-11, before Sage scored three of the final four points to win the match. 

Wheaton won the first two sets of the match to take a 2-0 lead in the match. 

Sage tallied the opening set's first four points including an ace from Guetti to give the Gators a four-point cushion. Senior middle hitter Marcus Gentile (Delmar, N.Y.) put down a kill to keep Sage in front at 9-7, but the Lyons scored five of the next six points, capped by a kill from Chiappetta, to take a 12-10 lead. The Gators reclaimed the lead with a 4-1 burst to take a 14-13 edge, before three straight points from Wheaton gave the Lyons a 16-14 lead. Wheaton later maintained an 18-16 margin, before the Sage tallied five of the next six points, including a kill from Pingelski to take a 21-19 lead. The Lyons closed out the frame with a 6-2 run, fueled by three kills from Chiappetta and capped by a kill from first year right side hitter Ryan Rathbun (North Kingstown, R.I.).

The teams played within two points of each other through an 8-8 tie, before Wheaton took control with a crucial 8-1 run, paced by a pair of aces from Hoy, to take a 16-9 lead. The Lyons maintained their cushion at 20-12, before the Gators scored four of the next five points, capped by an ace from sophomore outside hitter John Lindheimer III, to cut the deficit to 21-16. Wheaton held off Sage until Lloyd ended the frame with a kill to give the Lyons a 25-19 set win and a 2-0 lead in the match.

The Gators battled back to win the next two frames to knot the match at 2-2. Rathbun fired an ace for Wheaton to pull it within 7-6, before Sage put together a dominant 8-1 run, led by a pair of kills each from Fox and Pingelski, to give the Gators a 15-7 cushion. Sage later increased its lead to 22-13 following an ace from junior outside hitter Spencer Cooper (Albany, N.Y.). The Gators maintained their advantage and took the set, 25-17.

First year outside hitter Masiah Prak (Coventry, R.I.) gave the Lyons an early 4-3 edge in the fourth frame, before an 11-3 stretch, led by a pair of kills from Cooper and two aces from Fox, gave Sage a 14-7 lead. Wheaton went on a 6-3 run, capped by an ace from Rathbun to cut the deficit to 17-13. The Gators shook off the challenge and later took their largest lead of the set at 23-15. The Lyons remained resilient, scoring four of the next five points, including a kill from Rathbun to pull Wheaton within 24-19. Pingelski put down the final kill of the frame to give Sage the set and send the match into a fifth set.

Wheaton returns to the court on Tuesday, January 27 when it hosts Emmanuel College (Mass.) at 7:00 p.m. in Emerson Gymnasium for its first-ever home contest, while Sage takes on Rivier today at 3:00 p.m.