BOSTON, Mass. - The Wheaton College (Mass.) men's volleyball team played its second ranked opponent of the day on Saturday as it took on number two-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology on the campus of Wentworth Institute of Technology at Tansey Gymnasium. The Ducks swept the Lyons 3-0 (25-16, 25-20, 25-19) in the Blue and White's second contest of the day.

Wheaton falls to 6-8 on the year with the loss, while the Ducks improve to 11-2 with the win.

First year outside hitter R. Bennett Chiappetta (Middlefield, Conn.) led his team with 11 kills on .172 hitting. Fellow first year Ryan Rathbun (North Kingstown, R.I.) posted six kills, while sophomore outside Connor Lloyd (Swansea, Mass.) finished with five kills and five digs. First year setter Sebastian DeCubellis (Lincoln, R.I.) finished with 22 assists for the sixth most in a game for his young career.

First year middle hitter Jacob Lobdell (Dallas, Texas) paced the floor with 12 kills on an eye-watering .733 hitting. Sophomore opposite Cade Allen (Albany, N.Y.) had 11 kills in the game, while junior middle hitter Esteban Schmitt (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) finished with seven kills on eight attacks for an .875 hitting percentage. Sophomore setter Quinn Bozarth (Oak Park, Ill.) flashed his smooth hands all game long with 39 assists total. Senior outside hitter Phillip Bone (St. Louis, Mo.) held down the Ducks' defense with a team-leading seven digs.

Wheaton found themselves down early in the first set after Allen put down a kill to go ahead 3-1, but Chiappetta was able to respond with a pair of kills to knot the score at 4-4. Wheaton would manage to push ahead after Rathbun earned a kill and the Ducks made an error, but their efforts would be wiped away by an 8-2 scoring run from Stevens. The Ducks were able to turn cruise-control on and glided away to a 25-16 win in the opening set behind kills from Allen, Schmitt and Lobdell. 

Two kills from Chiappetta in the opening phase of the second set lifted the Lyons to a 5-5 deadlock, while each side exchanged errors all the way up to 10-10. Allen and Rathbun exchanged kills instead of errors to keep the set tied at 12-12. Lobdell, Schmitt and Allen all put down a kill to push ahead 17-14. First year libero Sam Smith (Alameda, Calif.) took full advantage of a missed Stevens serve, stringing together a pair of service aces to bring the score back to 17-17. Despite the valiant resistance, Stevens was able to put together a 7-2 scoring run to reach set point. Rathbun was able to delay the inevitable with a kill, but the Lyons were unable to stop the Ducks' next attack and subsequently dropped the frame 25-20. 

Sophomore Jimmy Ciummo (Barrington, R.I.) opened the third set with a kill, opening up an early lead that was widened by several Stevens errors and another Chiappetta strike. Lloyd made good on another kill of his own, and the Lyons took the free points from two more Ducks errors to take a 9-4 lead. Lloyd and Lobdell each put down a kill, but it was Lobdell who missed his serve to give Wheaton an 11-7 lead. Stevens flipped the script from there, stringing five points together capped by a kill from Allen to take the lead at 12-11. Ciummo notched another kill to keep it even, and Lloyd put down yet another kill to put the Lyons ahead at 15-13. Bone earned a kill, Lobdell scored another and Allen made it three to put Stevens back in the lead. Wheaton would tie it again after the Ducks missed their serve, but it was wiped away by kills from Allen and Lobdell. Leading 20-18, Stevens pushed to the finish line first, outscoring Wheaton 5-1 to close out the frame. Stevens took the sweep over Wheaton, 3-0.

Wheaton resumes play this Friday at Curry College, heading out to Milton, Mass. for a 4:00 p.m. start. Stevens will head into the Big Apple as it takes on New York University on March 3rd at 7:00 pm.