WELLESLEY, Mass. – Wellesley College volleyball earned a 3-1 NEWMAC victory over Wheaton College on Saturday afternoon at Dorothy Towne Fieldhouse. After dropping the first set 25-22, the Blue rebounded to win the next three 25-16, 25-21 and 25-22.
Senior Kaija Kunze-Hoeg (Eagan, Minn.) led the way for Wellesley (6-5, 1-1 NEWMAC) with 13 kills, 22 digs, five assists and four aces. Sophomore Sarah Jin (San Jose, Calif.) was next with 10 kills and four blocks. Sophomore Else Kunze-Hoeg (Eagan, Minn.) contributed 21 assists, 14 digs and three aces. Junior Caroline Meyer (Indianapolis, Ind.) also picked up 13 digs.
The Lyons (6-8, 0-2 NEWMAC) received 12 kills each from seniors Sydney Lyon (Weston, Conn.) and Celina Henn (Atwater, Calif.). Henn added 17 digs, while Lyon finished with 11. Junior Jackie Hochberg (Tampa, Fla.) posted a match best 25 digs to go with five assists.
Wheaton raced out to a 9-1 lead, thanks to three aces, and was able to hold off a late Wellesley run to win 25-22. The visitors later led 11-4 before a 4-0 spurt by Wellesley to keep things close. Trailing 24-16, Wellesley did not go quietly and put together a 6-0 run, which included a pair of Kaija Kunze-Hoeg aces, to pull within 24-22. Wheaton got the set-clincher on the next rally after a Wellesley attack error to secure the win.
The Blue carried the momentum of a strong finish to set one into the second set to take an early 5-1 advantage. An ace by junior Evie Hill (Rocklin, Calif.) later gave Wellesley an 11-4 lead. Wheaton chipped away with a 4-1 run, which included three kills by senior Julia Wingler (Fuquay Varina, N.C.), to pull within 12-8. The Blue received a pair of kills from Kaija Kunze-Hoeg and sophomore Logan Wilson (Woodside, Calif.) in a 7-0 run to create separation at 19-8. Wheaton rallied to score the next six points but the deficit was too large to overcome as Wellesley ended things with a 4-1 spurt for the 25-16 win.
Both teams came out competitively in the third, with Wellesley up 8-7 in the early going. A five point blitz gave the hosts momentum. The Lyons made up some ground, eventually trailing by a single point at 20-19. However, the Blue shot back with four unanswered points. With the set out of reach, the home squad finished a 25-21 frame on a Wheaton error.
Up 2-1, the Blue came out with three of the first four in the fourth before Wheaton countered with three of its own. While the visitors went 10-6, Wellesley would recover with kills from K. Kunze-Hoeg and Jin and service ace from E. Kunze-Hoeg. The Blue caught up to its opponents at 12-12 before taking off on a 6-2 run to put distance between the teams at 18-14. A late trio of Wheaton points brought the set back to a two-point differential at 22-20. However, Wellesley was unphased, alternating points until a kill from first-year Natalie Dabrowski (Chicago, Ill.) sealed a 25-22 set and the match.
The Blue and the Lyons each play an away NEWMAC contest on Tuesday, September 30. Wellesley's match at Babson starts at 7:00 PM. Wheaton takes on MIT at 6:00 PM.
