WENHAM, Mass. – First year outside hitter Ashlan Tosadori (Butler, Pa.) put down a match-high 11 kills and first year outside hitter Maddy Botelho (Swansea, Mass.) led all players with 15.5 points to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) women's volleyball team over St. Lawrence University, 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-23), today at the Gordon Invitational at Bennett Athletic Center in Wenham, Mass.
The Lyons improve to 4-5 on the season, while the Saints slip to 3-5.
Wheaton owned a .162 hitting mark for the match and committed just one attack error in the opening set to fuel a .273 hitting percentage.
Tosadori hit .258 for the match and added a pair of digs, while Botelho swung for eight kills, fired a career-high six aces to go with three block assists and 10 digs. Senior setter Ajsa Orbán (Budapest, Hungary) directed the offense with 17 assists and added 11 digs for her first double-double of the year in addition to putting away a pair of aces. Senior libero Jackie Hochberg (Tampa, Fla.) got down for 18 digs and found the floor for an ace for the Lyons.
St. Lawrence was led by junior middle hitter Bridget Gammons (Sunnyvale, Calif.) with seven kills, three aces, two blocks and a dig. Junior outside hitter Annika Flittie (St. Paul, Minn.) put down six kills, served up two aces and picked up five digs. Sophomore defensive specialist Lambertville, N.J.) scooped up a contest-best 20 digs in addition to firing two aces, while senior setter Vanessa Latam (Boxford, Mass.) contributed with 12 assists, seven digs, an ace and a block assist.
Wheaton raced out to a 12-3 lead in the opening set, paced by a pair of kills from first year outside hitter Eliana Inch (Mechanicsburg, Pa.). Gammons fired three aces as part of a 6-2 run for the Saints to cut the deficit to 14-9, before the Lyons scored five of the next seven points to extend their margin to 19-11. St. Lawrence scored five of the next six points, including three kills from Gammons, to pull within 20-16. The Saints stayed within 24-20 after an ace from first year defensive specialist Sofie Giannelli (Falls Church, Va.), but Botelho spiked the set point for Wheaton to give the Blue and White a 1-0 lead in the match.
The Lyons held an early 6-5 lead in the middle frame after a kill from Tosadori. St. Lawrence ripped off five straight points, led by a pair of kills from Flittie, to take a 10-6 lead. The Saints maintained a 13-10 margin, before Wheaton went on a 7-1 run to reclaim its advantage at 17-14. St. Lawrence took four of the next six points to come within a point at 19-18, before the Lyons closed out the frame with a 6-2 burst, including two kills from junior middle hitter Haley Jenkins (Dartmouth, Mass.), to take the set and a 2-0 match lead.
The Saints reeled off seven points to open the third set with their biggest lead of the day at 7-0. Wheaton answered with a 7-1 blitz to close within 7-8. An Orbán kill kept the Lyons within 10-9, but St. Lawrence looked primed to take a set off the Lyons with an 8-1 stretch, capped by an ace from Smith to give the Saints an 18-10 advantage. Wheaton battled back with nine of the next 10 points, fueled by three aces and a kill from Botelho, to knot the set at 19-19. Senior outside hitter Araiza Acum-Santos (San Juan, P.R.) grabbed the lead back for the Saints with a kill, before the Lyons finished the match with a 5-2 burst, punctuated by an Inch kill.
Wheaton returns to action tomorrow when it takes on Maine Maritime Academy at 12:00 p.m., while St. Lawrence plays host Gordon College at 10:00 a.m.
