The Middlebury volleyball team improved to 3-0 with a pair of victories on opening night of the Wheaton Invitational. The Panthers downed Worcester State by scores of 25-9, 25-17 and 25-15, before cruising past Farmingdale State College (25-19, 25-12, 25-10). Middlebury is back in action on day two of the Wheaton Invitational on Saturday with an 11:00 a.m. match against Rhode Island College and a 3:00 p.m. contest against the host school. 
 
Sparked by a pair of kills from Maggie Wise and Lucy Ambach, the Panthers jumped out to a 10-3 advantage in the first set against Worcester State (1-4), before cruising to a 25-9 victory. 
 
In the second stanza, Middlebury took an 11-2 lead highlighted by four kills from Jane Nelson. The Lancers cut the deficit to six (13-7), but that was as close as they would get as the Panthers eased to the 25-17 win. 
 
The third session saw back-and-forth action early on, before three kills from Wise gave Middlebury a 6-2 cushion. Worcester State chipped away at the deficit, cutting the lead to 12-10, highlighted by three kills from Natalie Gills. The Panthers tallied the next nine points (19-10) as they secured the match with a 25-15 final score. 
 
Wise led all players with 13 kills, while Emma Cortina had a match-high 24 assists. Ambach had eight kills to go along with four blocks and three service aces for Middlebury. Britt Lange led all players with nine digs. Leele Tyler recorded a team-high 10 kills for the Lancers, while Gills had eight kills and a pair of blocks. 
 
In the first set against Farmingdale State (0-4), the Panthers trailed 5-4 before rattling off five-straight points to take a 9-5 edge. The teams traded the next several points before Middlebury ran away with the set for the 25-12 final score. 
 
In the middle frame, the Panthers took a commanding 16-9 advantage. The Rams battled back, cutting the deficit to three (19-16), but Middlebury tallied five of the next eight points to secure the set (25-19). 
 
In the final set of the evening, the Panthers cruised to a 25-10 victory.
 
Wise and Nelson led Middlebury with 11 kills each, while Gabbie O'Toole recorded a match-high 29 assists. Kelly Ferrero dug out 15 balls, with Wise adding eight digs. The Rams were led by Madeline Stanley's 11 kills to go along with Lex Cavalieri's 21 assists.