ONEONTA, N.Y. – Senior right side hitter Mary Caroline Mazzanti (New Orleans, La.) swung for a match-high 18 kills to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) women's volleyball team over Utica University, 3-1 (20-25, 25-23, 25-20, 25-20) this morning on the second day of the the Red Dragon Classic hosted by State University of New York at Dewar Arena in Oneonta, N.Y.
The Lyons win their third straight match to improve to 3-1 on the season, while the Pioneers fall to 0-4.
Wheaton hit .128 for the match, including .303 in the third set to take the lead for good. Utica hit .075 in the four frames.
Mazzanti added four block assists and a dig, while first year outside hitter Maddy Botelho (Swansea, Mass.) spiked for 12 kills on a .273 hitting percentage to go with 10 digs for her first collegiate double-double. Sophomore setter Emily Cordell (Crawfordville, Fla.) set for 15 assists and picked up 10 digs for her own double-double, while senior libero Jackie Hochberg (Tampa, Fla.) scooped up 19 digs for the Lyons.
Senior outside hitter Trinity Bailey (West Winfield, N.Y.) led the Pioneers with 11 kills and added 16 digs and a block and junior outside hitter Elizabeth Hanba (Rome, N.Y.) put away eight kills and got down for a trio of digs. Junior setter Alicia Ancewicz (Greenlawn, N.Y.) also posted a double-double with 17 assists and 10 digs, while senior libero Megan Wright (Clay Center, Kan.) registered a match-high 29 digs.
The teams were tied early in the first set at 4-4, before Hanba put down a pair of kills to contribute to a 3-1 burst to give Utica a 9-6 margin. Wright later fired an ace to maintain and extend the Pioneers' largest lead to 19-13. Wheaton tallied seven of the next eight points to pull even on a kill from senior setter Ajsa Orbán (Budapest, Hungary) at 20-20. Utica brushed off the comeback attempt and rallied for the final five points of the frame to take a 1-0 lead in the set.
The Blue and White won the next three sets to extend their win streak to three.
Hanba gave the Pioneers an 8-7 edge early in the second set, before the Lyons ran off four unanswered points to take an 11-8 margin. Wheaton later maintained a 16-13 cushion, before Utica put together a 6-1 blitz, capped by a Hanba kill to take a 19-17 lead. The Lyons roared back with six of the next seven points, fueled by a pair of kills from Botelho, to take a 23-20 gap. The Pioneers tallied the next three points, including an ace from junior middle blocker Mackenzie O'Brien (Troy, N.Y.) to knot the count at 23-20. Wheaton scored the next two points to take the set and even the match at 1-1.
A kill from sophomore outside hitter Emylie Stanton (Latham, N.Y.) gave Utica a 7-4 lead, before the Pioneers maintained a 14-11 margin midway through the frame. The Lyons put together a punishing 10-2 stretch, backed by a pair of aces from senior defensive specialist Lillie Zickert (Gurnee, Ill.), to give Wheaton a 21-16 lead. Utica scored four of the next six points to pull within 23-20, but Mazzanti and first year outside hitter Czyleah Pabustan (Lathrop, Calif.) delivered back-to-back kills to give the Lyons a 2-1 match lead.
Again, the Pioneers took an early 5-2 margin in the fourth frame and later owned a 15-11 margin. Wheaton went on a 9-2 burst, fueled by four kills from Botelho, to give it a 20-17 margin. Utica climbed to within a point with three of the next four to cut the deficit to 21-20. The Lyons ended the set and the match with four unanswered kills.
Wheaton returns to the court with its final match of the weekend against Montclair State University at 12:00 p.m. today in Oneonta, while the Pioneers take on Paul Smith's College at the same time.
