MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – The Wesleyan volleyball team saw their season come to an end on Friday night, as the Cardinals fell in a 3-0 sweep to the Williams Ephs in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Wesleyan finishes the season with a 24-4 record while Williams (16-8) advances to Saturday's regional final where they will face NYU.
The upset minded Ephs dominated the statistical categories across the board but the key indicators came in the form of a .282 attack percentage against what was the second-best blocking team in the nation coming into tonight's match. Williams also dug 47 balls compared to just 30 for the Cardinals, holding a +17 advantage and limiting the scoring chances for what was a Top 10 offense in terms of hitting percentage for Wesleyan coming in.
Sophia Lindus '26 led the Cardinals with 11 kills while
Kathryn Morton '24 tallied seven kills with four blocks and three digs while hitting .357 for the match.
Maya Lopansri '26 led a rotation of Cardinal setters with 14 assists while
Grace Bell '23 chipped in a team-leading 10 digs.
Williams saw a match-high 12 kills come from Christina Conforti while Celia Adams had a double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs. Sidra Wohlwend added 13 digs while the Ephs' setters Lauren Kauppila (20 assists, six digs) and Gracie Guidotti (15 assists, nine digs) both ran the Williams offense well throughout the night.
Playing in front of an energetic home crowd, the Cardinals jumped out to an early lead thanks to a 6-1 run that gave Wesleyan a 11-6 advantage. Morton was heavily involved early, recording three consecutive kills and an ace to help build the five-point lead. Williams, however, fought back, whittling the Cardinal lead down to three and then a 4-0 run gave the Ephs a 15-14 lead. After the Cardinals grabbed the lead back at 19-18 and after the score was later tied 21-21, the Ephs mounted a set-clinching 4-0 run that started and ended with Marit Hoyem kills.
Wesleyan again grabbed an early lead in the second set, forcing an early Ephs timeout after taking an 8-4 lead. The Cardinal advantage later swelled to 13-8 but the Ephs again mounted a comeback in the middle of the set. The rally started with three unanswered points which was quickly followed with a 5-0 run to give the Ephs a 17-15 advantage. Wesleyan fought back to tie the score at 18 apiece but another mini 3-0 run gave the Ephs a much-needed three-point cushion before closing out the second set with a 25-22 victory.
As had been true in the opening two sets, the third set played out much like the first two as Wesleyan grabbed an early lead, this time a 9-4 advantage. And yet again, Williams came roaring back with a 7-2 run that tied the score. The two sides traded points in the middle stages before a 3-0 Cardinal run put Wesleyan out in front 18-16. The Ephs, however, continued to dig in and with the score later tied 23-23, Hoyem knocked home a kill and fired in a match-sealing ace to send the Ephs to the Sweet 16.
The Cardinals' 2022 season was full of program-firsts including the best regular season record by win percentage in team history (21-2; .913) while Wesleyan hosted both the NESCAC Tournament and NCAA Tournament matches for the first time in program history.
