MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – For all the winning the Wesleyan volleyball team has done over the past four-plus seasons, a win has Bowdoin has long-eluded the Cardinals. Coming into today's match having lost four straight meetings against the Polar Bears, No. 14 ranked Wesleyan showcased an incredible defensive display with some timely hitting to finally get over the hump and earn a four-set win over Bowdoin. Wesleyan (15-1, 8-0 NESCAC) moves to 7-0 at home this season and have a two-win lead over Colby and Middlebury in the league standings. Bowdoin (8-7, 3-6 NESCAC) has lost three straight matches.
Owning a 2-1 lead in sets, the Cardinals and Polar Bears traded blow-for-blow in the fourth set, with neither side leading by more than three points until the very late stages. The fourth set alone featured 37 kills between the two sides as both offenses were firing on all cylinders. Neither team won consecutive points in the middle stages until the match turned in favor of Wesleyan as a crucial 4-0 run turned an 18-18 tie into a 22-18 lead for the Cardinals. Bowdoin managed a couple points to lower the deficit to 22-20, but then
Sophia Lindus '26 did what she does best and finished the match in style with three straight kills, the last of which came a big celebration from the Cardinal seniors who came together in unison celebrating their first win over the Polar Bears in four attempts.
In a well-played match throughout, the Cardinals' back row featured heavily as Wesleyan totaled 92 digs for the match.
Bianca Ortiz '24 led the way with 23 while Lindus added 15,
Maya Lopansri '25 recorded a career-high 14,
Kiana Yuhl '25 went for 11, and
Elliana Moreno '27 tallied 10 to make it five Cardinals with 10+ digs for the match.
Lopansri was outstanding throughout, recording 40 assists and two kills as she played a large role in Wesleyan hitting .268 for the match. Lindus was the primary beneficiary as she recorded 21 kills to go along with her 15 digs.
Kathryn Morton '24 hit .400 with six kills while
Bella Ahearn '23 and
Kate Long '24 each posted nine kills.
Mariko Tanaka '24 had seven kills and four total blocks.
For as close as the match was, the first set was all-Wesleyan as the Cardinals put together one of their single-best sets of the season. The Cardinals hit .425 with 18 kills and one error in 40 attempts while Bowdoin hit just .095. A 6-1 Wesleyan lead turned into a 10-2 advantage for the home side. The kills kept coming as Wesleyan opened a double-digit lead at 15-4 before ultimately finishing off a resounding 25-11 first set win.
Wesleyan looked to be in control in the second set, opening with three unanswered points and continuing to hold a three-point lead at 13-10. Bowdoin then found their offense, as the Polar Bears went on a 10-3 run to take a 20-16 lead. Wesleyan would only get to within three of the lead for the remainder of the set with the Polar Bears finishing the set with a 4-0 run to take a 25-18 victory.
The third set was a defensive slugfest, with Wesleyan hitting just .106 while the Polar Bears hit at a .035 clip. After three unanswered points early in the set made it 7-4 Cardinals, Wesleyan managed to hold off the Polar Bears and lead for the remainder of the set. Bowdoin closed the deficit to one point on several occasions, including a 3-0 run that made it 19-18 Cardinals. However, that sudden surge was followed by a 4-0 Wesleyan run as the Polar Bears committed three attack errors and a set error. The five-point cushion was enough for Wesleyan to finish off the set with a 25-21 win, the last point coming from a Tanaka and Long combined block.
A resilient Bowdoin side led in the early going of the fourth set, leading by as many as three points until the middle stages where Wesleyan clawed back in and took a 17-16 lead. With the match tied 18-18, the decisive 4-0 Cardinal run that helped seal the match followed. Bowdoin cut the deficit to two, but the back-to-back-to-back Lindus kills sent the Cardinal faithful home happy.
Wesleyan's four remaining matches in the regular season are all on the road, starting next weekend with two non-conference matches. The first is on Friday at 7 PM at Salve Regina before the team travels to face Emerson on Saturday.
