WELLESLEY, MA- The Wheaton College women's volleyball team dropped a 3-0 (7-25, 17-25, 19-25) decision to defending New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament champion Wellesley College Tuesday night in Keohane Sports Center.

Wheaton falls to 9-18 overall and 1-6 in the league, while the hosts collected their sixth victory in seven matches to improve to 20-5 and 6-1.

The Blue raced out to a 20-1 lead in the opening set en route to the 18-point win. The Lyons rebounded in the second set, holding a slim 11-10 edge before giving way to a six-point run off senior Emily Peters' (Temescal Valley, CA/Villa Parks) service. Wheaton took an 8-7 lead in the final set, but the hosts eventually went on a 5-0 run and didn't look back.

Freshman Miranda Howitt (San Francisco, CA/International) turned in five kills, six digs and two blocks for the Lyons, while junior Lauren Kraus (Westboro, MA/Westboro) had three kills and two blocks. Sophomore Becca Rose (Sudbury, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury Regional) posted nine assists and 11 digs, while freshman Emily Davisson (Carpinteria, CA/Laguna Blanca School) and sophomore Kristen Hunt (Milford, CT/Jonathan Law) contributed eight and seven digs, respectively.

Wellesley junior Alice Kate Cummings (Tallahassee, FL/Lawton Chiles) recorded 12 kills, and senior Jessica Duff (Abingdon, United Kingdom/Saline) had 11. Sophomore Victoria Peng (Diamond Bar, CA/Diamond Bar) dished out 35 assists, Peters posted a match-high 19 digs, and Duff added 15.

The Lyons head to the Hall of Fame Tournament this weekend, as they are matched up against Bridgewater State College at Mount Holyoke College on Friday at 7:00 p.m.