ONEONTA, N.Y. – The Wheaton College (Mass.) women's volleyball team looked to post a perfect 4-0 tournament mark, but dropped a 3-1 (25-15, 19-25, 34-32, 25-17) decision to Montclair State University this afternoon 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 slip to 3-2 on the season, while the Red Hawks improve to a 4-0.
Wheaton owned a .115 hitting percentage for the match, including .265 in the pivotal third set, while Montclair State posted a .169 hitting clip.
The Lyons owned six set points in the third set in search of a 2-1 match lead, but the Red Hawks scored four of the final five points to swing the momentum their way, en-route to the victory.
First year outside hitter Eliana Inch (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) put down 12 kills and committed just one error for a .324 hitting effort and added five digs to lead Wheaton. Senior right side hitter Mary Caroline Mazzanti (New Orleans, La.) contributed with 11 kills and first year outside hitter Czyleah Pabustan (Lathrop, Calif.) swung for eight kills, fired an ace and picked up a dig. Sophomore setter Emily Cordell (Crawfordville, Fla.) set for 17 assists, served up three aces and picked up six digs, while senior libero Jackie Hochberg (Tampa, Fla.) led all players with 16 digs.
Junior middle blocker Breanna Craig (Lansdowne, Pa.) paced Montclair State with 12 kills on an impressive .500 hitting effort to go with three digs and senior right side hitter Sofia DiProfio (Clark, N.J.) chipped in with eight kills and two digs. Junior outside hitter Bryn Bautista (Sewell, N.J.) performed on both sides of the net for the Red and White with eight kills and 13 digs. Sophomore setter Lucy Cornelius (Snohomish, Wash.) led all playmakers with 25 assists in addition to 10 digs and an ace.
With the match tied at one set apiece, the Lyons took a 13-8 lead following an ace from first year outside hitter Maddy Botelho (Swansea, Mass.). The Red Hawks put together a 12-3 stretch, backed by a trio of kills from Craig, to take a 20-16 margin. Wheaton looked primed to take a 2-1 lead in the match after going on an 8-2 run, including three kills from Botelho and a kill from Mazzanti to give it set point at 24-22. Montclair State battled back with three straight points, including a pair of kills from first year outside hitter Ava Fielder (Hackettstown, N.J.), to take a 25-24 edge. The Lyons responded with the next two points for their second of six set points, before Inch put them a point away again with a kill to make it 31-30. The Red Hawks took advantage of four Wheaton miscues down the stretch to take the set, 34-32, for a 2-1 match lead.
Fielder put down two kills as part of a 9-2 run to open the fourth set for Montclair State. The Red Hawks later increased their lead to 17-8, before Cordell capped a three-point burst with an ace to push the Lyons within 17-11. Senior setter Ajsa Orbán (Budapest, Hungary) later fired an ace of her own to keep Wheaton within 23-17, but Montclair State scored the final two points of the day to secure the win.
The teams traded the lead four times in the opening set before a five-point run, paced by a pair of kills from Inch, gave the Lyons a 12-8 lead in the frame. The Red Hawks ripped off six straight points to take a 14-12 margin, but Wheaton tallied the next three points to give it a 15-14 edge after an ace from first year libero MJ Cockrill (Scottsdale, Ariz.). Montclair State closed out the set with 11 unanswered points, including four kills from senior middle blocker Lily Thomas (Cherry Hill, N.J.), to take a 1-0 match lead.
The Lyons evened the match with a second set victory. Wheaton raced out to a 10-1 lead, including a pair of kills from Mazzanti, before the Red Hawks closed to within 11-8 after a 7-1 blitz. Montclair State stayed within 13-10, but Wheaton put together a 7-3 stretch, capped by a pair of kills from Mazzanti to increase the Lyons' cushion to 20-13. The Red Hawks scored six of the next eight points, including a Craig kill to cut the deficit to 22-19. Wheaton scored the final three points, including a kill from Inch to give it the frame and tie the contest at 1-1.
The Lyons return to the court on Tuesday, September 8 when they head to North Dartmouth, Mass. to take on University of Massachusetts Dartmouth for a 6:00 p.m. tilt, while Montclair State tangles with No. 25 New York University on September 11 at 6:45 p.m. in New York City.
