MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – The Wesleyan volleyball team is set to make its fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance (sixth overall) and this time the Cardinals are set to serve as regional hosts for the first time in program history. Silloway Gymnasium will be the site for all three rounds of regional play as eight teams battle for the right to advance to the national quarterfinal round (Elite 8) next weekend.

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The Cardinals enter the NCAA Tournament having put together its most successful regular season in program history, going 21-2 and earning the top seed for the NESCAC Tournament for the first time. Last weekend's NESCAC Tournament saw Wesleyan defeat Colby and Amherst on the way to what was the Cardinals' second consecutive NESCAC title match appearance, only to fall short as Tufts took the crown with a 3-1 victory in Middletown.
 
Wesleyan is well-prepared for the NCAA Tournament, having faced 18 regionally ranked teams (15-3 record in those contests) as well as four matches against teams ranked in the Top 25 currently. The stats back up the Cardinals' impressive 23-3 record heading into the national postseason tournament as Wesleyan leads the NESCAC in a pair of crucial categories: blocks per set (2.62), hitting percentage (.255), and opponent hitting percentage (.130). In terms of the NCAA leaderboard, Wesleyan is among the very best in the nation as the Cardinals rank second in the country in blocks per set and ninth in hitting percentage.
 
Sophia Lindus '26 has made an instant impact in her debut season, leading the NESCAC by a wide margin with 325 kills (3.87 per set), as the next-closest player on the leaderboard (Kate Carman of Hamilton) averages 3.54/set while the next-closest in terms of total kills (Jenelle Yarwood of Tufts) has 249 kills for the season. Lindus also leads the NESCAC in points with 385.5 (4.59/set) on the year while she ranks Top 20 in hitting percentage (.262; 10^th in NESCAC), service aces (32 (0.38/set), 17^th) and digs (234 (2.79/set), 19^th). Looking at the NCAA ranking, Lindus is 23^rd nationally (2^nd among freshmen) in points per set and 27^th in kills per set (fourth among freshmen).
 
The 2019 NESCAC Rookie of the Year Bella Ahearn '23 is enjoying the best statistical season of her career as she has set single-season career-highs in kills (236), hitting percentage (.305) and points (257.0) entering the national postseason tournament. This is the first time Ahearn has hit over .300 during a season in her career while she is coming off an impressive NESCAC Tournament run wherein she posted 17 kills while hitting .350 in a semifinal win over Amherst and followed with a team-high 15 kills (.306 attack percentage) in the title match against Tufts.
 
Wesleyan is littered with standouts along the back row as four Cardinals have at least 200 digs this season. Reigning NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year Jenna Otaola '22 leads the team with 354 digs in 83 sets played (4.27/set) while Lindus has 234 in 84 (2.79/set), Grace Bell '23 has 233 in a team-high 90 sets (2.59/set) and Bianca Ortiz '24 just crossed the 200-dig mark as she has 205 in 78 sets (2.63/set). All four impact performers help lift Wesleyan to what is the NESCAC's top unit in terms of opponent hitting percentage (.130).
 
Setter Grace Dennis '23 has helped run what is a Top 10 offense in the country in terms of hitting percentage. She has 722 assists in 79 sets this season, averaging a NESCAC-best 9.14 per set. Dennis has 13 matches of 30+ assists this season including a current five-match streak heading into the NCAA Tournament. Dennis was outstanding in the semifinal win over Amherst, posting a career-high 61 assists with 14 digs and three service aces as the Cardinals defeated the Mammoths in five sets.
 
Leading a Cardinal blocking unit that ranks second nationally in total blocks and blocks per set, Kathryn Morton '24 has 89 total blocks (22 solo, 67 assists) in 87 sets this season. Her 1.02 blocks per set is third-best in the NESCAC while she has also contributed offensive, with a team-leading .332 hitting percentage (3^rd-best in the NESCAC). She posted an impressive 12 kills with six blocks, four digs, and two service aces in a 3-1 quarterfinal win over Colby last Friday.
 
Awaiting the Cardinals in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament is a Thursday night showdown with Eastern Nazarene (23-1). The Lions won their third straight New England Collegiate Conference title last weekend and enter the postseason tournament riding a 16-match win streak. Halle Julian was named the NECC Tournament MVP while Eliana Baran was tabbed the NECC Player of the Year for the second season in a row. The sophomore ranks sixth in the nation with a 4.55 kills per set average. Collectively, Eastern Nazarene leads the nation averaging 4.37 service aces per set.
 
As Wesleyan was awarded hosting privileges for the first time, they will be hosting Eastern Nazarene along with six other schools for regional play. The schools playing in Silloway Gymnasium are New York University, Stevenson, Salisbury, Endicott, Williams, and Westfield State.
 
NYU comes in with a 25-6 overall record and are currently tied for sixth in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) national rankings. The Violets rank Top 20 in the country in team kills (1,498), team assists (1,388), and hitting percentage (.236). They feature Lindsey Hirano who ranks fifth in the NCAA in digs (679) this season while Leela Anvekar is eighth in the country in blocks (118).
 
Stevenson (25-5) is in the NCAA Tournament field for the 11^th straight season, picking up its second straight at-large bid. The Mustangs fell in a five-set thriller to Eastern in the MAC Commonwealth Championship last weekend. Seniors Shannon Baily, Kayla Vaeth and Sarah Straub and junior Rileigh Kimball all picked up MAC Commonwealth All-Conference honors. Baily leads the team with 314 kills while Vaeth holds the team-lead with 462 digs.
 
Salisbury (20-8) punched its first ticket to the Big Dance in nine years, as the Sea Gulls earned an at-large bid. Playing as the fourth-seed, the Sea Gulls advanced to the title match of the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Tournament. Salisbury swept top-seeded UC Santa Cruz on the way to the championship match before falling to second-seeded Mary Washington in four sets. Salisbury has played 14 matches against nine teams that earned NCAA Tournament bid, going 6-8 in those matches. Senior outside hitter Amanda Chew is a First Team All-C2C selection after leading the league in kills (383), while also ranking second in points (420.0), fifth in digs (381) and 10^th in hitting percentage (.230). Junior libero Grace Rail is the C2C Defensive Player of the Year, leading the league in digs with 543.
 
Endicott (22-8) are the three-time defending Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Champions, having swept top-seed Gordon in the title match last weekend. Outside hitter Amanda Gilbert is the 2022 CCC Player of the Year, having been named All-CCC every year of her career. Middle blocker Colleen McAvoy joined Gilbert on the All-CCC First Team, as she led the team with a .307 hitting percentage.
 
Williams (14-8) is in the NCAA Tournament field for the 14^th time in team history and are led up front by middle hitter Marit Hoyem and outside hitter Celia Adams. Hoyem has started all 22 matches and has 325.5 total points with 224 kills and 91 total blocks. Adams has notched 254.5 points with 228 kills.
 
Westfield State (13-11) are in the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time, having won the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference title. Shawna Crowley leads the team with 192 kills. Julia Dangel-Garcia leads the Owls with 381 assists while Morgan Dority dished out 289. Sarah Bingham leads the team with 49 total blocks.
 
The Cardinals are set to face Eastern Nazarene in the final match of the opening round on Thursday night, with the match time scheduled for 8:00 PM.