NORTON, Mass. -- Senior
Mary Caroline Mazzanti (New Orleans, La.) racked up 15 kills as the offensive leader for the Wheaton College (Mass.) women's volleyball team as it fell to Lasell University, 3-1 (18-25, 19-25, 25-17, 16-25) in the opening match of the 2026 season in Emerson Gymnasium.
The Lyons kick off their newest campaign with an 0-1 record overall, while the Lasers begin their season with a win to improve to 1-0.
Both teams were even throughout the contest, with Wheaton totaling 39 kills to Lasell's 34. Each squad had eight aces, while Lasell led the block tally with 11 to Wheaton's three.
Mazzanti was the top offensive contributor for the Lyons and maintained a .267 hitting percentage. First years
Ashlan Tosadori (Butler, Pa.) and
Maddy Botelho (Swansea, Mass.) shined in their collegiate debuts with seven kills and five kills respectively. Sophomore
Emily Cordell (Crawfordville, Fla.) and junior
Elena Timo (Bourne, Mass.) split the setting duties across the four-set affair, taking home 18 and 10 assists, respectively. Senior libero
Jackie Hochberg (Tampa, Fla.) held down the defense with 12 digs, while Botelho trailed just behind her with eight digs.
Senior opposite hitter Shantte Siliezar (Puerto Cortes, Honduras) led the Lasers with 10 kills and a .240 hitting percentage. Senior middle hitter Victoria Pariseault (Exeter, R.I.) was Lasell's most efficient hitter with an eye-watering .467 hitting percentage, while junior setter Trinity Silva (Atascadero, Calif.) led the floor in assists with 24. Siliezar finished with 13 digs to fill out an all-around performance for the senior. Junior libero Analee Ronas (Daly City, Calif.) managed to best her teammate's dig total by just one as she finished with a team-leading 14.
Mazzanti kicked off her senior season with a bang as she struck the floor three times in a row to keep Wheaton even at 3-3. Wheaton pulled away for a 9-6 lead after Lasell made a pair of errors. The Lasers were able to flip the momentum thanks to a quintet of errors by the Lyons which drove their advantage up to 17-12. Mazzanti was able to put a stop to the onslaught as she put down a kill. Hochberg picked up an ace across the Lyons' 5-2 scoring run, but they were unable to eclipse the Lasers. Silva and Siliezar both put down kills before a Wheaton service error put the Lasers on set point. Another Siliezar kill gave the first set to the visitors, 25-18.
Lasell carried their momentum into the second set as they snapped off a 5-0 scoring run to open the frame. Wheaton was ready with the perfect response as they ripped a 9-2 scoring run of their own to take the lead. Mazzanti picked up another kill during the run while senior defensive specialist
Arianna Tanksley (Chesapeake, Va.) slipped two aces past the Lasers' defense. Wheaton led 11-10, but the Lasers were ready with a response of their own. They rattled off seven consecutive points to take a commanding 17-11 lead. Cordell picked up a service ace down the stretch, but the Lyons were unable to find a foothold in the second set as they fell 25-19.
Wheaton and Lasell each traded errors at the start of the third set, taking the tie up to a 3-3 score. Mazzanti's first kill of the frame kicked off a nifty 5-2 scoring run for the Lyons, helping them take control of the set with an 8-5 lead. Lasell pushed back to tie it at 8-8, but first year
Lola Soroa Schaller (Puzol Valencia, Spain) quieted the visitors down with a huge kill to keep Wheaton in front. Botelho followed it up with a service ace before Tosadori smacked home three straight kills, giving Wheaton a 13-9 lead. Lasell wasn't able to answer with a run of their own, and the Lyons were able to put a 6-2 run together thanks to kills from Soroa Schaller, Botelho and Mazzanti. Leading 19-13, Wheaton needed one more scoring run to take the set victory. They found it at the very end, after a Lasell error set Tosadori up for another pair of kills. The 3-0 run put the Lyons over the threshold as they took the third set from Lasell, 25-17.
The Lasers opened up the fourth set with another flurry of points. Facing an early 5-1 deficit, the Lyons needed their best hitters to lift them up. Botelho and Mazzanti were each up to the task as they scored twice to bring Wheaton to within a point at 6-5. Lasell continued to pull away with a 6-1 run of their own, driving their advantage up to 12-6. Tosadori and Soroa Schaller put down kills as they attempted to stop the surging Lasers, but there was no stopping the visitors as they strung together another 5-1 scoring run. Mazzanti notched two more kills and Botelho scored another one of her own down the stretch, but the late effort was not enough to stop the Lasers as they took the final set 25-16.
Wheaton will be back in action on Friday evening as it heads out to Oneonta, New York for the Red Dragon Classic, hosted by State University of New York Oneonta. The Lyons' first match will be against Paul Smith's College on Friday at 3:00 PM. Lasell will return home for its 2026 home opener against Chapman University on Friday at a time to be announced.
