Starting off fall break on the right track was on the Cardinals’ agenda, but unfortunately on Friday and Saturday the volleyball team endured what have become typical NESCAC results, losing in straight sets to both Middlebury and Amherst.  The Wes women traveled up to Amherst on Friday in preparation for their two matches, optimistic that this could be the weekend they got back on track.

“We were hoping for a pair of wins to break our streak,” said Laura Yim ’13. “We have been playing well, but we have just caught some unlucky breaks against tough opponents.”

Amherst and Middlebury are currently the league’s number one and two teams, with records of 7-1 and 6-2 respectively.

The games were both straight set winners, but the Cards battled throughout, falling to Middlebury (20-25,20-25,12-25) on Friday and then to Amherst (24-26, 14-25, 16-25). In the match against Middlebury, the Cardinals played a close first two sets and then lost the last by a considerable margin. Statistical standouts included Yim who posted 26 assists, Lesley Faulkner ’11, Alissa Santucci ’12, Monica Leslie ’14, and Casey Reed ’12, who each contributed six kills. The next day the Wes women had the unfortunate task of facing the NESCAC league leaders Amherst, who were fresh off victories against Bowdoin, Trinity, and Tufts, all of whom had handed the Cardinals losses earlier this year. The Amherst game was highlighted by an incredibly close first set that could not be decided at 25 and great efforts by Yim who provided 30 assists, while Reed, Leslie, and Faulkner each increased their seasonal kill totals by 10, 7, and 6 respectively.

Suffering an eight-game losing streak is enough to cause any team to falter and fade away, but on Tuesday, the Cardinals came roaring back. In an away game against Rhode Island College, the Cards ended fall break on a good note, achieving their first win since Sept. 29 and handing RIC their 15th loss of the season. It was a tough game that saw the Cards drop the first set, before sweeping the last three in dramatic and convincing fashion. Standouts again included Reed, who notched 15 kills, and Yim with 38 assists. This win was an extremely important one for the Cards, who had been struggling to keep up in a competitive NESCAC.

Things are still looking fairly bleak for the Cards, with a 1-7 NESCAC record entering the final two weeks of the season. That record puts them even with Hamilton for ninth in the league. Only the top eight teams make playoffs and our chances of a playoff berth look pretty good, with the remaining NESCAC games against Bates, Colby, and Trinity, all of whom are laboring in the bottom half of the NESCAC standings. Wesleyan’s next game is against Trinity College tonight at 7:30. Come down to Freeman Athletic Center to support the team in their first action this Homecoming weekend.