MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – Facing an NYU team that came into Saturday winners of 15 straight matches, the No. 12 ranked Wesleyan volleyball team showed out in a big way, taking down the No. 10 ranked Violets in four sets to land a signature win to cap the regular season. Wesleyan (19-2) heads into the NESCAC Tournament winners of seven straight while the Violets (20-5) fall for the first time since September 19.
An epic opening set saw the score tie on 15 occasions in the frame, with neither side winning consecutive points until the Cardinals rode a run of seven unanswered points to on the
Alexa Schnell '29 serve to lead 14-8. NYU countered with four unanswered points which turned into a 10-1 run as the Violets led 18-15. Wesleyan managed to claw back, using a 6-2 run to hold a 21-20 lead before the teams traded points for the next seven rallies until a combined block from
Siena Steines '28 and
Fiona LaCamera '27 clinched the set on a 26-24 win.
NYU bounced back with a 25-22 second set win, never trailing once in the frame. The Violets jumped out to a 4-1 lead and used a 6-1 run in the middle stages of the set to lead 15-9. Wesleyan used a 7-2 run to cut the deficit down to two points but the Violets staved off the rally bid to even the set score.
The third set was decided at the net as NYU managed 13 kills against just nine for the Cardinals in the set, but the Violets committed 12 attack errors with the Cardinals pilling up six total blocks in the frame.
Katelyn Olin '27 totaled four block assists in the third set alone while LaCamera had a solo block as Wesleyan held NYU to a .029 attack percentage in the set. The Violets led 4-1 early and continued to lead until a dominant series saw Wesleyan ride a 11-1 run to open a 17-9 lead. NYU didn't go away quietly, winning 10 of the next 14 points to close the deficit down to 21-19, but the Cardinals went on a 4-0 run to close out a 25-19 third set win.
It was Wesleyan's offense that sealed the match win in the fourth set, as the Cardinals totaled 16 kills on 33 swings with just four attack errors in the set for a .364 attack percentage. A competitive fourth set saw nine ties and five lead changes in the early going, but a 5-0 run on the
Mila Chan '28 serve created some separation as Wesleyan led 14-10. The two sides traded points until three unanswered points from Wesleyan in the late stages pushed their lead up to seven points, which was the final margin with a 25-18 fourth set win.
Chan led the Cardinals with 14 kills to go along with three aces, two blocks, and five digs. Chan hit .257 on her 35 attempts in the match, committing just five attack errors. Steines added 11 kills and five blocks while LaCamera finished with eight kills and no attack errors, hitting .444, with six blocks (two solo).
Carly Grumet '28 provided a lift off the bench, contributing nine kills on 17 swings, hitting .353 across the final three sets.
Elliana Moreno '27 produced a match-high 20 digs to go along with one ace.
Ariella Garrell '29 finished with a career-high 13 digs.
Lucy Konisky '30 (24 assists, five digs) and Schnell (20 assists, five digs) combined for 44 assists in the four-set match.
Wesleyan (19-2, 8-2 NESCAC) finished tied with Colby atop the NESCAC standings. Colby lands the #1 seed due to the Mules' four-set win over Wesleyan in Waterville in the regular season. The Cardinals are the #2 seed and will face the #7 seed Conn. College on Saturday at 3 PM from Silloway Gymnasium in the NESCAC Quarterfinal round.
