NEWPORT, R.I. – First year outside hitter Eliana Inch (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) put down nine kills to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) women's volleyball team over host Salve Regina University, 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-20), this evening in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference play at Rodgers Recreation Center in Newport, R.I.
The Lyons have won two of their last three and improve to 6-12 overall and 1-5 in NEWMAC play, while the Seahawks dip to 5-12 and 1-4.
Wheaton hit .219 for the match, including .379 in the opening set, while Salve Regina posted a .136 hitting percentage.
Inch hit .273 for the match and added four digs and an ace for the Lyons. Senior right side hitter Mary Caroline Mazzanti (New Orleans, La.) swung for eight kills on a .313 clip to go with a pair of digs and junior middle hitter Haley Jenkins (Dartmouth, Mass.) contributed with seven kills on a .417 hitting mark in addition to firing an ace and assisting on a block. Senior setter Ajsa Orbán (Budapest, Hungary) registered a match-high 17 assists, fired an ace and got down for four digs, while senior libero Jackie Hochberg (Tampa, Fla.) picked up 11 digs and served up a pair of aces.
Junior outside hitter Anouk Jansen (Queen Creek, Ariz.) led all players with 10 kills and owned a .412 hitting percentage to go with three digs and a block assist for the Seahawks. Junior outside hitter Lauren Shurling (Hudson, Mass.) chipped in with six kills, two aces, four blocks and three digs and junior setter Kalena Stavish (Upper Saddle River, N.J.) set for 10 assists and scooped up a pair of digs.
Wheaton owned an early 10-7 lead, paced by a pair of Inch kills, in the opening set. The home team answered with a 6-2 run capped by a kill from junior right side hitter Jenna DeFrancesco (Branford, Conn.) to reclaim the lead at 13-12 for Salve Regina. The Lyons scored four of the next five points to take a 17-15 margin after a Hochberg ace and never trailed again in the frame. The Seahawks pulled within 18-17, before Wheaton put together a dominant 7-1 run to end the set, capped by Mazzanti's second kill of the run to make it 25-18.
The Lyons opened the second set with a 4-1 lead, but three straight points from the home team and a kill from Shurling knotted the set at 4-4. Jansen put down a kill for SRU later in the set to make it 16-16 for the fifth tie of the frame. Mazzanti capped four unanswered points with a kill for Wheaton to give it a 20-16 margin. Jenkins followed with a kill to keep the lead at four (21-17), before Salve Regina rattled off four straight points to pull even at 21-21. The Lyons closed out the set with four of the final five points to take a 2-0 match lead.
Inch put down a kill to give Wheaton a 7-4 margin in the third frame, before five straight points gave the home team a 9-7 lead. The Lyons ripped off six straight points, led by a kill and an ace from first year libero MJ Cockrill (Scottsdale, Ariz.), to give Wheaton the last lead of the night at 13-9. The Seahawks cut the deficit to 13-12, but it was as close as they would get. The Lyons scored the next five points and Inch later put down a kill to give Wheaton its largest lead at 21-14. Salve Regina put together a 6-3 burst to pull within 23-20, but the Lyons scored the final two points for the set and match victory.
Wheaton returns to the court on Saturday, October 17 when it travels to New London, Conn. to take on host and NEWMAC foe United States Coast Guard Academy at 11:00 a.m., before playing Johnson & Wales University (R.I.) in tri-match action. The Seahawks head to Northampton, Mass. to play league rival Smith College at 1:00 p.m.
