MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – In an all-NESCAC Regional Final, the No. 12 ranked Wesleyan volleyball team looked in full control against No. 4 Colby, winning the opening two sets, only to see the Mules come storming back for a reverse sweep (25-17, 25-22, 21-25, 22-25, 7-15) to advance to the NCAA Quarterfinal round.
 
The Cardinals (22-4) complete yet another tremendous season under head coach Ben Somera, qualifying for the NESCAC Tournament as the #1 seed and advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in program history (seventh since 2017). In the NCAA Tournament, Wesleyan advanced to the Regional Final (Sweet 16) for the fourth time in team history while hosting Regional Round play for just the second time.
 
Wesleyan came out on fire in the opening set, hitting .297 as a team while holding Colby to a .087 attack percentage with 10 attack errors. Mila Chan '28 had five kills in the first set alone while Siena Steines '28 went off with four kills on five swings. Colby held a 12-10 lead in the set, only to see Wesleyan claw their way into the lead and close out the set with a 7-1 run to claim the 25-17 win.
 
The second set saw the Cardinals again play in system, with a .229 attack percentage in the frame while Colby again struggled, hitting 10 more attack errors. Wesleyan went on a 5-0 run that turned into a 9-2 swing, putting the hosts up 15-10 in the second set. Colby, however, came right back with a 6-1 run of their own to tie the score. With the set score 21-21, Sophia Lindus '26 rifled a kill and back-to-back Colby attack errors followed. On what was their second set point attempt, Lindus and Fiona LaCamera '27 combined on a block to give Wesleyan a 25-22 win.
 
Colby came out firing in the third set, building a 10-6 lead before the Cardinals again worked their way back in it with a 4-0 run that turned into a 7-2 swing. The set was tied at 18 apeice before NESCAC Player of the Year Brady Moseley went to work with three kills in a 6-0 run for Colby, spotting the Mules enough of a lead to hold off a late rally attempt in a 25-21 win.
 
As the Mules' offense continued to struggle early in the fourth, Wesleyan took advantage and held a 7-2 lead, only to see Colby slowly whittle away at that advantage, ultimately taking a 17-15 lead. Consecutive kills from Chan tied the score while Lindus later went to work with back-to-back kills to make it 21-20 Mules. But again, it was Moseley who came up with three kills in the final four Colby points as the match went into a fifth set as Colby prevailed 25-22.
 
The fifth set saw Wesleyan win three of the first five points, but after those first initial points, Colby dominated the remainder of play. The Mules won 11 of the next 13 points to lead 13-5 and ultimately took the match-clinching 15-7 win. Colby hit .500 in the fifth set with the Mules' middle hitters (Cyanne Jones, Kendall Glover, and Alexa Peguero) combining to go 7-for-8 on their swings.
 
Lindus closed out her collegiate career with 18 kills, 13 digs, and three blocks while earning a spot on the All-Tournament Team. Elliana Moreno '27 joined Lindus on the All-Tournament Team with a 21-dig performance against the Mules.
 
Chan finished with 15 kills and 16 digs for the Cardinals while India Clark '28 had seven kills and five digs while hitting .316. Both Ali Landa '26 and Alexa Schnell '29 finished with identical stat lines of 22 assists and eight digs.