WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL FALLS TO WHEATON, 3-0

NORTON, Mass.- The Wheaton College women's volleyball team swept visiting Emmanuel College by a 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-20) count in a non-conference match Thursday night in Emerson Gymnasium. 
  
Improving their home mark to 5-5 this season, the Lyons also reached the double-figure victory mark while raising their overall record to 10-21.  Emmanuel fell to 12-17. 
  
Freshman Deirdre Wilson (Aptos, Calif./Aptos) was Wheaton's top hitter with a match-best 16 kills, hitting .560 in the process, and a match-high-tying 11 digs.  Classmate Arieanne Creighton (Brookline, N.H./Hollis Brookline) approached a double-double with 10 kills and seven digs. 
  
Freshman setters Page Gustofson (South Lake Tahoe, Calif./South Tahoe) and Jackie Kochiss (Milford, Conn./Jonathan Law) handed out 22 and 19 assists, respectively.  Senior Frances Trimble (Rapid City, S.D./Northfield Mount Hermon School) added eight digs, while senior Rachel Vergara (Needham, Mass./Needham) and junior Lindsay Tebbetts (Gilmanton, N.H./Gilford) had four blocks each. 
  
For the guests, senior Nathalie Victoria (Brockton, Mass./Brockton) notched seven kills, freshman Shannon Dudley (Arroyo Grande, Calif./Mission College Prep) tallied nine assists and nine digs, sophomore Alison Donnelly (Longmeadow, Mass./Longmeadow) posted nine helpers, and senior Yun-Ting Lee (Keelung, Taiwan/Cambridge Rindge & Latin School) had 11 digs. 
  
The opening set was tight in the early going, with neither team leading by more than four points until the Lyons turned an 11-10 edge into an 18-10 advantage on the strength of Gustofson's service.  Wheaton's 7-0 run was capped by Wilson and Tebbetts kills.  Emmanuel narrowed its gap to 19-16, but the Lyons rattled off six of the set's final 10 points for the win. 
  
The hosts jumped out to an 11-4 lead in the second set before a 10-4 Saint run pulled Emmanuel to within one at 15-14.  Leading 20-19, Wheaton closed things thanks to a 5-0 run.  Wilson and Kochiss came away with the final two kills of the set. 
  
Seven ties ensued during the third and final set, with the last coming at 18-all, before the Lyons scored six of the next seven points for a 24-19 edge.  After a Wheaton service error, the Blue and White clinched the match when Gustofson passed to Tebbetts for the winning kill. 
  
The Lyons play in their regular season finale on Saturday against New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) foe Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) at 1:00 p.m.  In order to qualify for next week's six-team league tournament, Wheaton needs to win and get assistance from others playing that day. Emmanuel also finishes up its regular season on Saturday with a GNAC tri-match against Mount Ida and Saint Joseph (CT). The Saints have already locked in a playoff spot while a sweep would give EC an outside shot at hosting a GNAC Quarterfinals match next week.

*Release courtesy of Wheaton College Sports Information Dept.