NORTON, Mass. — First year outside hitter R. Bennett Chiappetta (Middlefield, Conn.) put down a school-record 17 kills, including a pair of set points, to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) first-year men's volleyball team to a 3-1 (25-23, 25-22, 21-25, 25-21) victory over visiting Regis College (Mass.) this evening at Emerson Gymnasium on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.

The Lyons win their second straight and improve to 2-3 on the season, while the Pride fall to 5-4.

Wheaton hit .289 for the match, including .364 in the final frame, while Regis boasted a .296 hitting mark and was backed by a .500 percentage to take the third set.

Chiappetta committed just four attack errors to fuel an impressive .565 hitting mark in addition to six digs and three blocks for the Lyons. Sophomore right side hitter Jack Kenyon (Westerly, R.I.) swung for a career-high 15 kills to go with six digs, a pair of aces and a block assist, while classmate Connor Lloyd (Swansea, Mass.) spiked for 10 kills, picked up a career-best eight digs, fired an ace and got up for a pair of blocks. First year setter Jacob Hoy (Essex Junction, Vt.) registered a program-record 43 assists and added three kills, five digs and two blocks.

Sophomore outside hitter Adam Bonica (Quincy, Mass.) led the Pride with 11 kills on a .391 hitting percentage and added seven digs, two aces and a pair of blocks. Junior setter Evan Shank (Yorba Linda, Calif.) set for 38 assists, fired an ace and got down for five digs, while sophomore libero Jake Vessalico (Islip Terrace, N.Y.) picked up a match-high nine digs.

Wheaton opened the match with the first four points, including a kill from Hoy. Regis matched the total after Shank put down an ace to knot the score at 4-4. The Pride took their first lead of the night at 10-9, following an ace from Bonica. The visitors maintained their edge at 11-10, before the Lyons roared back with five of the next six points to take a 15-12 margin. Bonica later fired another ace to pull Regis within 18-17, but again Wheaton scored four of the next five points, capped by a kill from first year middle blocker Landon Hanscom (New Haven, Conn.) to give the home team a 22-18 lead. Chiappetta put the Lyons at set point with a kill to make it 24-22, but Bonica countered with a kill for the Pride to make it a one-point set. Chiappetta answered with another kill to give Wheaton the opening set at 25-23.

Regis opened the second frame with a 6-2 lead, before the Lyons put together a 10-3 stretch, paced by a kill and an ace from Kenyon, to give them a 12-9 advantage. Lloyd fired an ace to give Wheaton its largest lead of the frame at 15-11. The Pride later closed to within 22-20, before back-to-back kills from Hoy and Chiappetta put the Lyons within a point of taking a two-set lead in the match at 24-20. Regis tallied the next two points, including a kill from Bonica to make it a two-point difference at 24-22. Chiappetta again put down the final point with a kill to give Wheaton a 2-0 match lead.

Chiappetta swung for a pair of kills to back a 5-3 opening burst in the third set for the Lyons. The Blue and White later held onto an 8-7 edge, but it proved to be their last lead of the frame. The Pride scored seven of the next eight points, capped by a kill from Shank to give Regis the lead for good at 14-9. First year outside hitter Haden Houatchanthara (Northbridge, Mass.) put away a kill to maintain the Pride's advantage at 19-14. Wheaton fought back with a 5-1 run to cut the deficit to 20-19 and stayed close at 21-20, but the Pride scored four of the final five points to take the frame. Senior middle hitter John Nangle (Lowell, Mass.) put down the final two kills of the set.

Regis took an early 3-1 lead after a kill from junior outside hitter Brandon Valdes (Miami, Fla.), but Kenyon spiked for four kills to ignite a 6-1 run to give the home team a 7-4 margin. The Pride answered with a 5-1 blitz, including a kill from Valdes to reclaim the lead at 9-8. Regis later received a kill from first year outside hitter Vincent Betonio (Livermore, Calif.) to maintain a 19-18 edge, but it was the visitors' last lead of the night. Houatchanthara found the floor for a kill to pull the Pride level at 20-20, before the Lyons closed out the set and the match with a 7-2 stretch, capped by a block from Lloyd and first year middle blocker Jeremy Bullard-Smith (Boston, Mass.) for a 25-21 count.

Wheaton returns to the court on Sunday, February 8 when it hosts No. 16 Massachusetts Institute of Technology at 10:00 a.m. as part of a tri-match with Endicott College at Emerson Gymnasium, while Regis heads to Utica, N.Y. to play State University of New York Polytechnic Institute on February 7 at 2:00 p.m.