NORTON, Mass. — The Wheaton College (Mass.) men's volleyball team battled in a 3-0 loss to visiting Endicott College this afternoon at Emerson Gymnasium on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons dip to 2-5 on the year, while the Gulls even their record at 3-3.
Endicott hit a formidable .380 for the match, including a blistering .583 in the second set and committed just five service errors, while Wheaton hit .247, including .357 or more in each of the first two frames.
Sophomore outside hitter Connor Lloyd (Swansea, Mass.) put away a match-high 13 kills behind a .346 hitting percentage, picked up six digs and had a block assist for the Lyons. First year outside hitter R. Bennett Chiappetta (Middlefield, Conn.) complemented him with 11 kills and added three digs, four block assists and an ace. Sophomore right side hitter Jack Kenyon (Westerly, R.I.) spiked for nine kills and added a pair of digs. First year setter Sebastian DeCubellis (Lincoln, R.I.) directed the offense with a match and career-high 33 assists, in addition to four digs, an ace and a pair of block assists.
First year setter Ethan Norris (Hollis, N.H.) spiked for nine kills on a lethal .667 hitting mark to go with seven digs and a pair of blocks, while senior outside hitter Jake Laborde (Brookline, N.H.) put away eight kills, got down for five digs, fired and ace and got up for a block for the Gulls. Senior outside hitter Aidan Iacovelli (South Windsor, Conn.) registered eight kills, three blocks, three digs and an ace and junior right side hitter Aaron Bennett (Haverhill, Mass.) was guilty of just one attack error to go with eight kills for a .538 hitting mark in addition to a block assist. Junior setter Matty Tiernan (Bradford, R.I.) set for 22 assists, picked up five digs and assisted on a block.
The Gulls flew out to a 4-2 lead, capped by a kill from Norris, but Lloyd put away two kills to pull Wheaton even at 4-4. DeCubellis fired an ace to keep the score level at 10-10 for the Lyons. Wheaton took a 17-14 lead, following a 7-4 run, led by a pair of kills from Lloyd. Endicott scored the next four points to take an 18-17 edge, but the Lyons roared back with three unanswered points to take a 20-18 margin after an ace from sophomore middle blocker Jimmy Ciummo (Barrington, R.I.). Wheaton later knocked on the door of the set victory with set point at 24-23 after a Lloyd kill, but the Gulls scored the next three points, including a kill from Bennett to pull out the frame for Endicott, 26-24.
The Gulls scored four of the first five points of the middle set and took a 7-4 lead, before the Lyons asserted themselves with a slick 6-1 run, fueled by a trio of kills from Chiappetta, to take a 10-8 lead. Kenyon put down another kill to keep Wheaton in front at 12-11, but it was the last lead of the frame for the home team. Endicott scored the next two points to pull ahead, despite a Lloyd kill that made the frame level at 21-21 for the sixth tie between the teams since the Gulls took the lead. Lloyd kept the Lyons' hope alive with a kill to make it 24-23, but Bennett registered his second set point kill to give Endicott a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Gulls tallied the first four points of the third set, before Wheaton answered with three straight points, including an ace from Chiappetta to make it 4-3. Endicott put together a 9-4 stretch, including a pair of kills from Laborde, to increase its margin to 13-7. Iacovelli kept the visitors' margin at a half dozen with a kill to make it 14-8, before the Lyons battled back with a 5-2 burst to pull within 16-13. The Gulls closed the match in emphatic fashion, scoring all but one of the next 10 points to come away with a 25-14 victory. Bennett put down three kills during the match-ending stretch.
Wheaton returns to the court to host Dean College on Tuesday, February 10 at 7:00 p.m., while Endicott plays on the same night and time when it travels to Nashua, N.H. to take on Rivier University.
