MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – The Wesleyan volleyball team earned two wins over visiting Kean University on Saturday afternoon, defeating the Cougars 3-1 (25-22, 29-31, 25-18, 25-19) in the opening match before a 3-0 sweep (25-14, 25-19, 25-16) in the nightcap. Wesleyan (7-1, 2-1 NESCAC) up their win streak to four while Kean (5-8, 2-1 NJAC) has lost their last three straight.

Bella Ahearn totaled 21 kills combined (13 in the first contest) in the two matches to lead the way for Wesleyan who shuffled in several new faces. Michelle Jorba '25 posted a team-leading 11 kills in match two while Bianca Gonya '25 (four kills, five blocks, three digs in four sets) and Annabelle Schlesinger '25 (11 assists, five digs, one block) had moments of brilliance as each made their first career appearance today.

MATCH ONE HIGHLIHGTS (WES WON 3-1):

• Wesleyan came out strong in the opening set, building a 6-2 lead behind three Sydney Smith '25 kills but Kean managed to claw back to a 7-7 tie. From that moment on, Wesleyan continued to chip away, slowly building a six-point advantage late in the set before holding on late as the Cougars mounted a 4-0 run before Wesleyan earned the set-clinching point on a kill from Mariko Tanaka '24.
• A wild second set saw Kean take the early lead this time as the Cougars went out front, 13-7 before Wesleyan mounted a furious comeback to lead 16-15. Wesleyan had Kean on the ropes, up 24-20, but the Cougars staved off four consecutive set points to prolong the set. The two sides traded points before the Cougars got a set-clinching point to win 31-29.
• Even with the second set lose, Wesleyan shook it off and got to work right away in the third set, building a 10-3 edge. Kean was only able to get to within two points of the lead for the rest of the third set which ultimately was won by the Cardinals, 25-18.
• A pair of 4-0 runs put Wesleyan in a good spot, leading 13-7 in the fourth set. Kean answered with a 3-0 run of their own but a three-point margin was as close as the Cougars would get before Tanaka closed the match with another kill to give Wesleyan a match-sealing 25-19 fourth set win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS (MATCH ONE):

• A very-balanced Wesleyan stat sheet saw 10 different Cardinals rack up double digit total attacks in the match.
• Bella Ahearn '23 led the way with a very strong 13 kills against just three errors on 29 attempts for a .345 hitting percentage
• Smith also went for double figures, finishing with 11 kills with just two errors on 20 attempts for a .400 percentage
• Brina Kuslak '23 racked up seven kills on 12 attempts (.417) and Kathryn Morton '24 was outstanding with five kills on 10 attempts (.400) in her one set of action
• Maya Lopansri '25 stuffed the stat sheet with 34 assists, three service aces and nine digs in three sets
• Jenna Otaola '22 recorded 16 digs from her libero position while Kiana Yuhl '25 and Grace Bell '23 each tallied nine

MATCH TWO HIGHLIGHTS (WES WON 3-0):

• After trading points in the beginning stages of the opening set, the Cardinals rattled off a 11-3 run that included a pair of 4-0 runs as the lead swelled to 21-11 in favor of Wesleyan. That was more than enough to ensure an easy 25-14 opening set win in match two.
• The second set was much like the first as the two teams traded points until a 5-1 Wesleyan run saw what was a one-point match suddenly swell to 17-12 in favor of the Cardinals. The Cougars cut into the lead and trailed 20-18 late but Wesleyan won five of the final six points of the set and closed out the 25-19 win.
• Otaola was the engine behind a 5-0 run near the midway point of the third set as she carried the Cardinals from what was a one-point lead into a 16-10 advantage. Wesleyan finished off the win with a 7-2 run that led to a 25-16 third set win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS (MATCH TWO):

• Jorba was the go-to hitter in match two, as the first-year racked up a match-high 11 kills on 26 attempts (.231 percentage)
• Tanaka had everything working as she went for 10 kills on 19 attempts (.474) while adding six blocks (two solo) in the three-set match
• Ahearn added eight kills (.438) and five blocks while Kuslak hit .429 in her one set of action and Maddie Kurke '22 totaled four kills with no errors in her one set
• Lopansir dished out 36 assists with six digs
• Otaola posted 15 digs and five assists while Bell tallied nine digs and Yuhl added eight

UP NEXT:
Wesleyan's eight-match homestand continues on Friday night as the Cardinals welcome Colby for an 8 PM start.