WORCESTER -- The WPI volleyball team dropped a straight-set decision to Wheaton, 3-0 (25-14, 25-11, 25-12), in NEWMAC play on Wednesday evening at Harrington Auditorium. With the result, WPI moves to 10-16 overall and 2-8 in the conference, while Wheaton improves to 12-16 and 3-7 in NEWMAC action.
 
Olivia Hutchinson (Erie, PA) and Fiona Gillis (Manchester, NH) each recorded four kills for WPI, while Anastasia Kelnik (Fair Lawn, NJ) added three. Preslie Jerebker (Denver, CO) paced the Engineers with eight assists and five digs, and Lauren Boycourt (San Diego, CA) contributed six assists and nine digs. Zeala VanDamme (San Diego, CA) added two blocks.
 
Wheaton was led by Celina Henn (Atwater, CA), who finished with 13 kills, while Ajsa Orbán (Budapest, Hungary) and Sydney Lyon (Weston, CT) followed with 10 and nine, respectively. Emily Cordell (Crawfordville, FL) handed out 14 assists and added two aces, and Jackie Hochberg (Tampa, FL) recorded a match-best 10 digs.
 
The Lyons opened with a pair of early kills and built a 12-5 advantage to open the match. WPI closed the gap briefly behind kills from Hutchinson and Gillis, but Wheaton closed on a 6-1 run to take the set, 25-14.
 
In the second frame, four aces and a string of kills from Lyon and Henn sparked a 10-3 start for Wheaton. The Lyons extended their lead to double digits midway through the set and held WPI to a -.158 hitting percentage en route to a 25-11 win.
 
The visitors carried that momentum into the third, opening on a 9-3 surge that featured multiple kills from Lyon and Henn. WPI earned points on swings by Hutchinson and Gillis, but Wheaton's .516 team hitting percentage and 16 kills in the frame proved too much as the Lyons finished the match with a 25-12 victory.
For the match, Wheaton hit at a .432 clip, while also totaling nine blocks and six service aces. WPI's offense struggled and was held to -.041 as a team.
 
WPI wraps up its season on Saturday (Nov. 8) at 1pm, hosting Salve Regina in Harrington Auditorium. Wheaton will host Mount Holyoke the same afternoon at noon in a match with NEWMAC Tournament implications.