MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – In need of a win to secure the top seed in the 2025 NESCAC Tournament, the No. 14 ranked Wesleyan volleyball team was given all they could handle by Bates but it was the Cardinals who prevailed in five sets (26-24, 25-21, 20-25, 27-29, 15-8) on Saturday afternoon from Silloway Gymnasium. Wesleyan (19-2, 9-1 NESCAC) rebounds following last night's five-set defeat to Tufts, earning the #1 seed for the third time in the last four seasons.
 
A highly entertaining opening set saw the Cardinals take a 15-11 lead and then a 4-0 Wesleyan run extended their advantage to 19-13. It was 24-19 Wesleyan before the Bobcats staved off five consecutive set points to tie the score at 24-24. That, however, was met with back-to-back attack errors from Bates to hand the Cardinals the 26-24 win.
 
An early run in the second set proved vital as the Cardinals led 9-4 following a 6-0 run and continued to hold a steady lead, leading by as many as seven points midway through the frame Bates then won six unanswered points to lower the deficit down to just one. Wesleyan led 19-18 before a 3-0 run gave the Cardinals a four-point cushion, which they held for the remainder of the set, closing out a 25-21 win.
 
Trailing 2-0 in sets, Bates did not let up, using a 10-2 run in the third set to flip an 8-5 deficit into a 15-10 lead. The Bobcats went on to win the third set comfortably at 25-20.
 
Wesleyan came out firing in the fourth set, leading 7-3 early and keeping hold of the four-point advantage later at 17-13. Bates fought back with a 9-3 run and had two set points at 24-22, but the Cardinals responded with three unanswered to give Wesleyan a match point. The Cardinals would have three match points in total in the frame, only to see Bates respond with a point on all three. Bates eventually won the set 29-27, sending the match into a decisive fifth set.
 
Despite losing the previous two sets, Wesleyan was undeterred, hitting .444 in the fifth set with three Sophia Lindus '26 service aces paving the way. Lindus served the Cardinals to a 5-0 run to give Wesleyan a 7-1 lead and Bates would only get to within four points of the Cardinals' total from that point forward. Siena Steines '28 finished off the match with her 19^th kill to give Wesleyan a 15-8 match-clinching win.
 
Lindus piled up the points with 18 kills, four aces, and five total blocks to go along with 12 digs. Steines finished with 19 kills on 36 attempts, hitting .444 for the match, to go along with five blocks. Fiona LaCamera '27 tallied six kills and seven blocks. Alexa Schnell '29 and Ali Landa '26 combined for 44 assists and 13 digs while Elliana Moreno '27 led the Cardinals with 20 digs.
 
The Cardinals head into postseason play next weekend where they get a rematch against the #8 seed Bates on Saturday at 3 PM from Silloway Gymnasium.