MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – The Wesleyan volleyball team was well represented on the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III Regional Awards list as head coach
Ben Somera earned Region 1 Coach of the Year honors while four Cardinals earned All-Region honors and another was an honorable mention for the All-Region list.
Earning the Region 1 Coach of the Year award for the third time in the past four seasons, Somera led the Cardinals to a 22-4 record and 9-1 mark in NESCAC play, earning the top seed for the NESCAC Tournament for the third time since 2022. Wesleyan went on to advance to the Sweet 16 (Regional Final) round of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in team history, all coming under Somera's 11-season tenure as head coach in Middletown. Wesleyan was 18-1 to start the season, dropping just six sets in their first 19 matches of the year, while his group landed a thrilling five-set win over Ithaca in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament to advance to the Regional Final.
The All-Region list included four Cardinals, as Wesleyan tied for the fourth-most All-Region honorees of any team in the country. Making the All-Region 1 list includes outside hitter
Sophia Lindus '26, setter
Ali Landa '26, libero
Elliana Moreno' 27, and outside hitter
Siena Steines '28.
Mila Chan '28 was given an honorable mention nod for All-Region honors.
After missing the entire 2024 season due to injury, Lindus returned with vengeance in her senior year, as the two-time Region 1 Player of the Year earned her third career All-Region nod. She piled up the points, ranking second in the NESCAC in points per set (3.88) while she sat tied for third in the NESCAC in kills per set (3.24), tied for 14
th in service aces per set (0.40), and tied for 14
th in digs per set (2.90). Playing the full rotations for the Cardinals all throughout the season, Lindus started all 26 matches and was at her best during the NCAA Tournament, posting three straight double-doubles including a stellar 26-kill, 22-dig performance in the win over Ithaca.
Moreno, the 2025 NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year, added All-Region honors to her list of accolades this year as the junior libero started all 26 matches and set career-high totals across the board. In 92 sets played, Moreno posted 402 digs, 95 assists, and 33 service aces. Her 4.34 digs per set average ranked fourth-best in the NESCAC while Wesleyan held opponents to a .144 hitting percentage, which was second-lowest among 11 teams in the conference. The junior had 10+ digs in 24-of-26 matches while she had 20+ digs eight times in 2025.
Landa earns All-Region honors for the first time in her career while having completed her career with her best single-season. In 26 matches, Landa posted 590 assists, 19 kills, 12 service aces, and 189 digs in 93 sets played. Landa's assist per set (6.34) and digs per set (2.03) are both career-highs while she recorded her 1500
th career assist in the NESCAC Tournament. Landa was the primary setter for a Cardinal team that ranked first in the NESCAC in points per set (17.3) and hitting percentage (.256) while ranking second in kills per set (12.8).
In just her second season playing for the Cardinals, Steines enjoyed a breakout sophomore year, totaling 267 kills (2.93 per set) while hitting .300 on 631 attempts. She ranked sixth in the NESCAC in kills per set while she sat ninth in hitting percentage. After hitting .141 with 107 kills as a first-year, Steines stepped into a leading role this season and had the second-most kills on the team. Steines recorded four double-doubles on the season while she hit .400+ in 10-of-26 matches.
Chan had a strong debut year in the red and black, finishing with 176 kills (2.51 per set) while hitting .251 on 454 attempts to go along with 23 aces, 156 digs, and 31 total blocks in 70 sets played. Chan grew into her role as the year went along and established herself as a force come postseason time, recording three straight matches with 13+ kills in the NCAA Tournament. Her best match on the year came against Ithaca where she recorded 17 kills, 16 digs, six aces, and three blocks in the five-set win.
