NORTON, Mass. — The Wheaton College (Mass.) men's volleyball team needed just three sets to secure the first victory in program history with a 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-22) win over visiting Emerson College this evening at Emerson Gymnasium on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons improve to 1-3 on the season, while the Lions drop to 1-1.
Sophomore right side hitter Jack Kenyon (Westerly, R.I.) spiked a ball into the far left corner for the final point of the night to give Wheaton a 25-22 win in the third set for the first victory in school history in just its fourth match.
The Lyons hit .200 for the match, while Emerson managed just a .067 mark.
Wheaton saw 11 different players record at least just one kill, led by sophomore outside hitter Connor Lloyd (Swansea, Mass.) with a career-high nine kills on a very efficient .533 hitting percentage to go with a pair of digs and a block assist. First year outside hitter R. Bennett Chiappetta (Middlefield, Conn.) contributed with six kills, three aces, two digs and a block assist. First year setter Jacob Hoy (Essex Junction, Vt.) registered 18 assists, a kill, four block assists, three digs and a service ace, while first year middle blocker Jeremy Bullard-Smith (Boston, Mass.) put down a pair of kills, six blocks, an ace and a dig.
Junior outside hitter Riley Goldman (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) and sophomore outside hitter Mario Cielo-Salinas (Oswego, Ill.) each swung for nine kills to lead the Lions. Goldman added an ace and a dig and Cielo-Salinas got down for three digs and up for three blocks. First year setter Ryan Chen (San Francisco, Calif.) directed the offense with a match-high 21 assists to go with two digs and an ace and first year right side hitter Cade Ott (Saint Louis, Mo.) chipped in with a match-best seven digs and three kills.
The Lyons tallied three of the first four points to open the match, including an ace from Chiappetta, but Emerson put together a 7-3 stretch, paced by a pair of kills each from Cielo-Salinas and first year middle blocker Jack Ferrie (New York City, N.Y.), to take an 8-6 margin. Wheaton effectively took control of the frame with a suffocating 16-3 run, led by three kills from Lloyd, to give the home team a 22-11 cushion. The Lions fought back with a 7-2 burst, bolstered by a kill and an ace from Goldman, to cut the deficit to 24-18. Chiappetta put down a kill to give the Lyons a 1-0 match lead.
Wheaton opened the middle set with a 13-6 lead, behind a kill and a block from Chiappetta. Emerson pulled within two at 14-12 after scoring six of the next seven points, including a pair of kills from Goldman. The visitors stayed within 19-17 after a kill from Cielo-Salinas, but the Lyons scored five of the next six points to serve for set point at 24-18. The Lions scored four straight points to keep the frame alive at 24-22, but first year middle blocker Landon Hanscom (New Haven, Conn.) put away the final kill to give the Blue and White a 2-0 lead in the match.
Wheaton wasted no time to assert itself in the third set with a 10-2 lead backed by three kills from Lloyd. The Lyons increased their margin to 15-6 after an ace from first year outside hitter Masiah Prak (Coventry, R.I.) and maintained an 18-9 advantage after first year setter Sebastian DeCubellis (Lincoln, R.I.) put down a kill on a dump at the net. Emerson battled back with a 10-2 stretch to make it a one-point frame at 20-19. The Lyons were within one point of history following a 4-2 burst to increase their margin to 24-21. The milestone result had to wait one more point after Cielo-Salinas put down his ninth kill of the night to make it 24-22 for the Lions, before Kenyon gave Wheaton the win.
The Lyons return to action on Thursday, February 5 when they host Regis College (Mass.) at 7:00 p.m. at Emerson Gymnasium, while Emerson hosts Vermont State University Johnson for a pair of matches on January 31 at 11:00 a.m.
