For Immediate Release
October 21, 2008
Wellesley Sports Information
Wellesley Volleyball Sweeps Wheaton on Senior Night
WELLESLEY, Mass. – Wellesley Volleyball celebrated Senior Night with a 3-0 (25-7, 25-17, 25-19) win this evening at Keohane Sports Center.
With the victory, Wellesley upped its record to 20-5 overall and 6-1 in conference play. Wheaton drops to 9-18 (1-6 NEWMAC).
The Blue jumped out to a 20-1 lead in set one, dominating all facets of the game while coasting to a 25-7 win. Wheaton rebounded in set two, using a new lineup to earn an 11-10 lead mid-way through the game. But after two more sideouts, a six-point serving run from Wellesley's Emily Peters (Temescal Valley, Calif.) gave Wellesley a 19-12 lead and the Blue held on to take the set 25-17.
Game three began evenly as well. A series of sideouts gave the Lyons an 8-7 edge, but Wellesley opened a five-point lead with a serving run from Heather Mellquist (Baltimore, Ohio). Wheaton recovered and made a late surge, courtesy of libero Emily Davisson (Carpinteria, Calif.), but Wellesley captured the set 25-19 for the 3-0 sweep.
Miranda Howitt (San Francisco, Calif.) led the Lyons at the net with five kills, followed by Lauren Kraus (Westboro, Mass.) with three kills and two blocks. Becca Rose (Sudbury, Mass.) distributed 10 assists in the match, while leading the team in digs with 12. Howitt and Davisson added nine and eight digs, respectively.
Alice Cummings (Tallahassee, Fla.) led the Blue offense with 12 kills, followed by Jessica Duff (Milton, Abingdon, UK) with 11. Samantha Du (Houston, Tex.), Casi Schwisow (Bellevue, Wash.), and Amanda Duritsch (Troy, Ohio) added five kills each. Peters anchored Wellesley's defense with 19 digs. Duff added 15 digs, and Naomi Iwata (Seattle, Wash.) chipped in 13 more. Duff and Du also tallied four blocks each, while Victoria Peng (Diamond Bar, Calif.) recorded 35 assists in the win.
Wellesley and Wheaton both return to the court at the Hall of Fame Tournament hosted by Smith and Mount Holyoke. The Blue will open play at Smith on Friday at 7:00pm against Brandeis, while Wheaton will take on Bridgewater State at Mount Holyoke, also at 7:00pm.