NORTON, Mass. — First year right side hitter Ryan Rathbun (North Kingstown, R.I.) put down a career-high nine kills to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) men's volleyball team over visiting Dean College, 3-0 (25-21, 25-14, 25-19), this evening at Emerson Gymnasium on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons improve to 3-5 on the season, while the Bulldogs drop to 3-4.
Wheaton hit a season-high .365, including .542 in a first set that saw it commit just one attack error. The Lyons hit .258 or better in every set, while Dean hit .088 for the match.
Rathbun owned a .263 hitting rate to go with seven digs and a pair of block assists, while sophomore outside hitter Connor Lloyd (Swansea, Mass.) put away seven kills behind a scorching .583 hitting mark and added five digs and three block assists for Wheaton. First year setter Sebastian DeCubellis (Lincoln, R.I.) set for 28 assists in addition to dumping two kills, picking up three digs and assisting on a block. First year outside hitter Jordan Rodriguez (East Providence, R.I.) contributed with five kills on a .444 hitting percentage and picked up three digs to go with a block assist.
Senior hitter Arthur Felicio (Saugus, Brazil) led the Bulldogs with eight kills and added two digs. Sophomore hitter Noah Allan (Windham, N.H.) found the floor for seven kills, scooped up two digs and got up for a pair of block assists. Senior setter Hunter Armitage (Westerly, R.I.) directed the offense with 17 assists, fired an ace and got down for five digs.
Felicio put down a kill for Dean to pull even at 2-2 early in the opening set. The Lyons put together a 7-2 stretch, backed by a pair of kills from Lloyd and a kill and an ace from sophomore right side hitter Jack Kenyon (Westerly, R.I.), to take a 9-4 advantage. The Bulldogs battled back in what would become a trend for the set with each team exchanging blows. A 6-2 burst, fueled by three kills from Felicio cut the deficit to 11-10 for the visitors, before Wheaton ripped off four straight points to take a 15-10 lead. Dean pulled within one again and trailed 20-19 after a 9-5 stretch led by a pair of kills each from Allan and senior hitter Jerney Price (San Antonio, Texas). The Lyons closed out the frame with five of the final seven points, including a set-point kill from Kenyon to give the home team a 1-0 edge in the match.
Wheaton cruised to a 25-14 win in the second frame to take a 2-0 lead. The Lyons scored the first three points of the set and took a 7-4 lead, including a pair of kills from Rathbun. The Bulldogs received kills from Allan and Armitage to pull within 7-6, but it was as close as they would get for the rest of the frame. Wheaton put together a 15-5 string, including a pair of kills from first year outside hitter Masiah Prak (Coventry, R.I.), to take a 22-11 cushion. The teams traded three points apiece, before the Lyons took the set.
Dean took an early 2-1 lead in the third set for its first advantage of the night. The Bulldogs increased their margin to 9-7 for their largest lead of the match, but the Lyons tallied the next four points, paced by a pair of kills from Rathbun, to take an 11-9 lead. First year hitter Travis Johnson (Taunton, Mass.) put down a kill to bring the visitors within one at 12-11 and stayed within 16-14, before Wheaton went on a 6-2 run, led by a pair of Rathbun kills, to take a 22-16 lead. Dean scored three of the next four points to make it 23-19, but Rathbun and sophomore outside hitter Ellis Vasquez (Medford, Mass.) put down the final kills of the night to give the Lyons the set at 25-19 and the match at 3-0.
Wheaton returns to the court on Saturday, February 14 when it travels to Johnson, Vt. to take on Vermont State University Johnson for a twinbill starting at 10:00 a.m., while the Bulldogs host Kings College (Pa.) and Curry College on the same day at 12:00 p.m.
