The women’s volleyball team had great success this weekend, finishing with three wins and only one loss, at the Johnson and Wales tournament. The team took second in the tournament and Becca Rogers ’08 and Lisa Drennan ’09 were named to the All-Tournament team.

“This was a very exciting weekend for the team because we have a lot of freshmen and all of them stepped up and contributed to our success in one way or another,” said co-captain Erin Reding ’06. “I think this team has a lot of fight and a lot of heart.”

The team began the tournament Friday night by easing past Eastern Nazarene College winning the first three games 30-26, 30-25, and 30-28. Their second match was even more of a breeze; they dominated Suffolk University with three straight decisive victories (30-17, 30-21, 30-14).

After two relatively stress-free wins, the team had to face an extremely talented Springfield College team, whom they had never beaten in the seven times they have played before. The Cardinals reversed the trend by upsetting the perennial powerhouse 3-2 and moving onto the championship match.

“We beat Springfield College for the first time in the history of this program and that was absolutely the highlight of the weekend for me,” Reding said. “That is a team you really have to come out and beat because they aren’t going to lose the game for you.”

In the finals Wesleyan faced an undefeated Bridgewater St team and lost 3-1. It was a disappointing end to the weekend, but the Cards played great and earned second place in the season opening tournament.

Rogers averaged almost ten assists over the weekend as the team’s setter, while offensive specialist Drennan, playing in her first collegiate matches totaled 61 kills in the tournament for an average of 4.1 per game. Both were honored with All-Tournament selections.

With such a young squad, the Cardinals rely on strong senior leadership from captains Tiffany Bryan ’06 and Reding. They plan to try and use their experience to help guide the younger athletes assimilate into the college game.

The Cards hope their strong play can continue when they face their first NESCAC opponents. They have three matches this coming weekend against Middlebury, Hamilton, and defending NESCAC and NCAA New England regional titlist Williams. The matches will be played at Williams College Friday, Sept. 16 and Saturday, Sept. 17.

For now though, Reding and her teammates are enjoying their success at the tournament. “The team really stepped up to the competition this weekend and it was great to be a part of,” Reding said. “We still have a long way to go but this was a great way to start things off.”