MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – After a pair of convincing wins in the opening two sets, the No. 14 ranked Wesleyan volleyball team needed a late comeback from 22-18 down in the third set to capture another sweep and move to 10-0 on the season. This is just the second time in program history that Wesleyan (10-0, 3-0 NESCAC) is 10-0, with the first time being the 1989 season. The Mules (7-4, 3-1 NESCAC) suffer their first NESCAC defeat of the season.
In a defensive battle, the Cardinals won despite a .215 attack percentage, which is the team's second-lowest mark of the season. A big key behind the victory came at the net where the Cardinals posted 11 total blocks including a career-high eight from
Kathryn Morton '24.
Bianca Gonya '25 added three blocks as the tandem are ranked first (Gonya – 1.30) and second (Morton – 1.04) in the NESCAC in blocks per set this season.
The stellar defensive effort was further evidenced along the back row where
Bianca Ortiz '24 posted 19 digs as she continues to lead the NESCAC, averaging 6.0 digs per set in 2023.
Maya Lopansri '25 added a season-high nine digs while Morton also had a season-high with six.
On the attacking end,
Sophia Lindus '26 led the way with 11 kills and just one error on 35 attempts, adding eight digs and two service aces to her match totals.
Bella Ahearn '23 went for seven kills with four blocks while
Michelle Jorba '25 tallied six kills and three blocks. All three hit at least .211 for the match.
Ali Landa '26 led the Cardinals with 17 assists to go along with six digs. Lopansri nearly finished with a double-double as she had 11 assists with her nine digs.
Even though the offense wasn't firing on all cylinders in the first set, Wesleyan relied on defense as Colby hit just .026 for the set with 10 kills and nine errors in 38 attempts. Wesleyan opened with an 8-1 run and never looked back, eventually leading by a 14-point margin at 19-5 following a run of six unanswered points. Colby gained some footing, seven straight points to make it 21-14, but the damage had been done and the Cardinals finished off a 25-16 first set win.
The second set was more back-and-forth in the early going before Wesleyan separated a bit with a 4-0 run. The Cardinal lead hovered around four points before Ortiz led the Cardinals on a dominating 9-0 run as a three-point lead swelled into a 24-12 advantage. Wesleyan hit .306 for the second set on 14 kills with three errors in 36 attempts while the Mules hit just .054.
Wesleyan again seemed in complete control, scoring four unanswered points to open the third set, but Colby went on a 9-3 run to flip what was a 15-13 Cardinal lead into a 22-18 advantage for the Mules. However, just as Colby looked to be sending the match into a fourth set, Wesleyan responded with six unanswered points, capped by a block from Morton and Jorba that made it 24-22 Cardinals. Colby drew one point back but on the ensuing point, Ahearn finished the match with a kill off a Colby blocker to clinch a sixth straight sweep for Wesleyan.
The Cardinals finish up the home weekend with a 1 PM start on Saturday against Bates. Wesleyan is 8-1 all-time against the Bobcats at home and have won the last eight meetings dating back to 2016.
