WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The No. 20 ranked Wesleyan volleyball team put on a clinic in the Cardinals' 2023 season opener, dispatching the Hawks in straight sets (25-13, 25-18, 25-20) on Tuesday night from the Hartford Volleyball Gym. Wesleyan is 1-0 for the fourth straight season and the eighth time in the last nine campaigns. Hartford drops to 1-1.
 
The reigning NESCAC Player and Rookie of the Year Sophia LIndus '26 came out and dominated to the tone of 13 kills with one error in 26 attempts, good enough for a .462 attack percentage. Michelle Jorba '25 went for six kills on 14 attempts while Binca Gonya '25 led the team hitting .571 (five kills in seven attempts) and five other Cardinals totaled at least two kills.
 
Bianca Ortiz '23 shined at the libero position, matching her career-high with 22 digs in the 3-0 win. Setter Paulina Marino-Bindi '27 contributed across the board in her collegiate debut, posting 15 assists, two kills, three blocks, and four digs. Fiona LaCamera '27 went for three kills and three blocks in just two sets of action in her debut as a Cardinal.
 
Playing the Hawks for the first time in program history, the Cardinals didn't waste any time as the first set saw Wesleyan record 15 kills with just two errors in 30 attempts for a .433 attack percentage. Wesleyan led 7-5 before a 7-0 run saw the Cardinals' lead swell to 14-5. Hartford only got to within seven points for the remainder of the set before a 5-0 Wesleyan run led to a 25-13 first set victory. Lindus went 5-for-9 on her attacks in the opening set with no errors.
 
Wesleyan continued to string together success on offense, rattling off 13 more kills against just two errors for a .344 attack percentage in the second set while the Cardinal defense went 16-for-19 on sideout opportunities. Lindus again featured with five kills on nine attempts while Jorba went 3-for-6 on her attempts with no errors in the second set. Ortiz recorded 10 of her 22 digs in the second set alone.
 
After going up 5-2 early in the third set, the Hawks strung together their most-successful run of the night, leading 10-7, but the Cardinals won six of the next eight points to retake a 13-12 lead. It was later 19-18 in favor of Cardinals before a decisive 5-0 run late in the set proved too much to overcome as Wesleyan closed the door with a 25-20 win. Marino-Bindi came up big in the late run, recording two kills, two block assists, and one assist. Gonya totaled four kills on five attempts in the third set.
 
Wesleyan turns their attention to Friday night where the Cardinals welcome Baruch for a 5 PM start from Silloway Gymnasium. This is the first all-time meeting between the two sides.