FRANKLIN, Mass. — Sophomore right side hitter Jack Kenyon (Westerly, R.I.) swung for a school-record 19 kills to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) men's volleyball team to a 3-1 (25-22, 25-21, 21-25, 25-23) victory over host Dean College this evening at Pieri Gymnasium in Franklin, Mass.
The Lyons win their school-record fourth in a row to improve to 6-5 on the season, while the Bulldogs fall to 3-7.
Wheaton hit .271 for the match, including .419 in the first set, and closed out the contest with a .381 mark in the fourth frame. Dean posted a .262 hitting mark and swung for a .379 rate in the opening set.
The Blue and White won the first two sets, before the Bulldogs extended the match to a fourth frame with a third-set victory. The Lyons closed out the night, winning the final three points for a triumph in the fourth set.
Kenyon recorded a monster double-double, shattering the school standard with 19 digs to go with his 19 kills and added a pair of blocks for Wheaton. First year outside hitter R. Bennett Chiappetta (Middlefield, Conn.) put away 16 kills on a .353 hitting clip to go with six digs, an ace and a block assist. First year setter Sebastian DeCubellis (Lincoln, R.I.) directed the offense, matching his own school record with 45 assists in addition to picking up nine digs, firing an ace, putting down two kills and getting up for a block assist.
Senior hitter Arthur Felicio (Saugus, Brazil) and first year hitter Travis Johnson (Taunton, Mass.) each put down 11 kills for Dean with Felicio adding seven digs and a block solo and Johnson getting down for eight digs and four blocks. First year hitter Antonio Varela (East Providence, R.I.) spiked for nine kills on a .389 hitting mark in addition to three blocks and an ace, while senior setter Hunter Armitage (Westerly, R.I.) set for 35 assists and picked up four digs.
The Bulldogs opened a 4-2 lead in the opening set, paced by a pair of kills from first year hitter Antonio Varela (East Providence, R.I.). The visitors put together a 10-4 stretch, fueled by three kills from Kenyon and two kills and a block from Chiappetta, to give the Lyons a 12-8 margin. Dean cut the deficit to 13-12 with four of the next five points and stayed within a point at 18-17, but it was as close as it would get for the remainder of the frame. First year middle blocker Landon Hanscom (New Haven, Conn.) fired an ace to give Wheaton a 20-17 lead and later put down a kill to keep it a three-point advantage at 24-21. Sophomore hitter Noah Allan (Windham, N.H.) gave the home team its last point of the set with a kill, but Chiappetta ended the frame with a kill of his own to give the Lyons a 1-0 edge in the match.
The Bulldogs took a six-point lead midway through the second set at 11-5 after a kill from Felicio. Wheaton answered with a 15-5 outburst, fueled by three kills and a block from Chiappetta and three kills from Kenyon, to give the Lyons a 20-16 margin. Dean battled back with four unanswered points, including three kills from Felicio, to pull even at 20-20. Wheaton closed out the frame with five of the final six points, punctuated with the final two kills from sophomore outside hitter Connor Lloyd (Swansea, Mass.) to give the Lyons a 25-21 set win and a 2-0 match lead.
Wheaton owned a 6-4 lead early in the third set, but the Bulldogs pulled away with an 11-3 run, paced by a kill and a block from Johnson, to take a 15-9 advantage. Dean later took its largest margin at 21-13, before the Lyons tallied six of the next seven points to cut the deficit to 22-19 after a kill from first year middle blocker Jeremy Bullard-Smith (Boston, Mass.). Johnson put down the final kill of the set to keep the Bulldogs alive at 25-21.
Dean tallied the first point of the fourth set, before Wheaton went on a 6-2 run, backed by a pair of kills from Kenyon, to take a 6-3 lead. The Bulldogs reclaimed the lead with a 5-1 burst, including three kills from first year hitter Brandon Mimande (East Providence, R.I.), to take a one-point edge at 8-7. The Lyons answered with an 8-4 burst, led by three kills from Lloyd, to take a 15-12 margin. Chiappetta put away a kill to keep Wheaton ahead at 21-19, before Dean made a late push with four of the next five points, including a pair of kills from Johnson, to give the home team a 23-22 lead. The Lyons closed out the match with three straight points with the final two kills coming from Kenyon to close out the match.
Wheaton returns to action on Thursday, February 19 when it hosts Rivier University at 7:00 p.m., while the Bulldogs head to Bronxville, N.Y. on February 21 to take on York College (N.Y.) and host Sarah Lawrence College for a 1:00 p.m. tri-match.
