WATERVILLE, Me. – In a showdown between the last two remaining unbeaten teams in the league, the No. 14 ranked Wesleyan volleyball team handed Colby (8-2, 3-1 NESCAC) a 3-1 defeat, moving the Cardinals (11-1, 3-0 NESCAC) into sole possession of first place in the NESCAC standings.
 
Wesleyan had to fight their way back from a poor second set as the match was all square at 1-1 after two, but the Cardinals righted the ship and put forth a dominating showing in the third set before continuing a great defensive outing to seal the match in the fourth, winning by a set score line of 25-18, 17-25, 25-15, 25-18.
 
Sophia Lindus '26 led the team in kills for a second straight match, this time recording 14 kills to go along with 11 digs for her second double-double of the season. Lindus hit .234 for the match as she totaled just three errors in 47 total attempts.
 
The big key in this match was defense as the Cardinals totaled 71 digs and 11 blocks as a team in the four-set match. Jenna Otaola '22 was all over the court, amassing a season-high 26 digs for her 12^th career 20+ dig outing and her first of the season. At the net, Bianca Gonya '25 recorded a new career-high with four solo blocks to go along with one block assist and five kills. Mariko Tanaka '24 and Lila Sayre '25 each added three blocks apiece.
 
In a match wherein the Cardinals hit just .146, their second-lowest single-match total thus far on the season, Wesleyan's defense picked up their offense as Colby hit just .013 on 39 kills against 37 errors in 154 total attempts. Bella Ahearn '23 posted eight kills and hit at a team-leading .261 clip. Grace Dennis '23 had a solid showing with 21 assists and seven digs.
 
Neither side led by more than two points in the first set up until Wesleyan went on a 5-0 scoring run off the serve of Kiana Yuhl '25 to erase a two-point deficit and turn it into a 16-13 advantage. Another 3-0 mini run later upped the margin to five before a strong end to the set gave Wesleyan a 25-18 victory.
 
Colby answered right back with their best set of the match, as the Mules totaled 12 kills against six errors (.171 hitting percentage) while the Cardinals had just seven kills with six errors in 43 attempts (.023). The Mules jumped out to a 5-0 lead which later stretched to 11-6. Wesleyan clawed back and cut the deficit to two points on a couple of occasions before a strong close to the set gave Colby a 25-17 win.
 
Shaking off the second set disappointment, Wesleyan came out and played much better to start the third as it was suddenly 11-4 Cardinals before the lead grew to 23-11 in favor of the visitors. Colby had a three-point run but it was too big a margin as Wesleyan was victorious by a 25-15 score line.
 
After Wesleyan jumped out to a 9-5 lead in the fourth, Colby struck back and held a 12-10 lead near the midway point of the set. Wesleyan, however, won three straight points and eight of the next 10 points overall to hold the 18-14 advantage. The Mules cut the margin back down to 18-17 and later 20-18 but a 5-0 Wesleyan run, all off the serve of Maya Lopansri '25 finished off the match with a 25-18 triumph.
 
Wesleyan looks to keep hold of the top spot in the NESCAC standings with a showdown against Bates on Saturday at 1 PM.