MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – The No. 17 ranked Wesleyan volleyball team continues to roll as the Cardinals swept Smith College by a score line of 25-13, 25-19, 25-23 on Friday night from Silloway Gymnasium. Wesleyan improves to 17-1 on the year, winning nine straight matches including seven consecutive three-set sweeps. The Bears drop to 16-8 on the year in defeat.
 
The Cardinals benefitted from contributions up and down the lineup with five players recording 4+ kills while four had at least six digs in the win. Sophia Lindus '26 posted nine kills with six digs and two blocks while Siena Steines '28 hit .500 in the match, recording nine kills on 16 swings. As a team, Wesleyan had eight service aces, tied for their third-highest single-match total this year.
 
The opening set was entirely one sided as the Cardinals recorded 14 kills and four service aces while hitting .333. On the defensive end, Wesleyan held Smith to just four kills on 22 swings in the entire set. Five Cardinals had at least two kills in the frame as Wesleyan had five separate runs of three or more unanswered points to land a 25-13 win.
 
The Cardinals took control of the second set with an 8-1 run that turned a 6-5 deficit into a 13-7 lead for the hosts. Wesleyan continued to stretch their lead to as many as nine points at 21-12 late on before ultimately closing out a 25-19 set win. Mila Chan '28 recorded four kills on six swings in the frame while Lindus had three kills on seven swings.
 
The script flipped at the start of the third set as Smith jumped out to a 7-1 lead, forcing Wesleyan into a timeout. The Cardinals responded well from that timeout and closed the gap to 11-9. Smith restored a 18-15 lead before the Cardinals went to Steines and capitalized with a 5-1 run that flipped the score in favor of Wesleyan. Now leading 23-20, Wesleyan saw their lead disappear as three unanswered points for the Bears made it 23-23. Carly Grumet '28 stepped into a kill to give Wesleyan a set point at 24-23, which India Clark '28 buried with a service ace to clinch the match at 25-23.
 
Wesleyan avenges a five-set defeat in Northampton last season to Smith and are set to face another NEWMAC opponent on Saturday as Coast Guard makes a trip up Route 9 to face the Cardinals at 2 PM from Silloway Gym.