Arya Alizadeh/Staff Photographer

On a night when the only Wesleyan athletic show in town was the volleyball match at Silloway Gymnasium, the Cardinals did not disappoint. The Wesleyan volleyball team was in the midst of a tough six-game losing streak when they took the court on Wednesday, Sept. 28, versus Western Connecticut University. The Cardinals came into the contest with a 2-9 record, while Western Conn., ranked eleventh in New England, rolled in with an 11-2 mark. Unfazed by the high esteem that Western Conn. had garnered early on in the 2011 campaign, the Cardinals convincingly triumphed over the Colonials by a score of 3-1.

Western Conn. opened the match with a seemingly insurmountable lead, but an 11-3 Wes deficit turned into a 19-18 Wesleyan lead, and the Cards took the first set 25-22 to complete the comeback. Laura Yim ’13, who led Wes with 33 assists on the night, secured the set with a game winning spike. Wesleyan rallied once again in the second set, dominating 25-21 after storming out of an early 5-1 hole.  Captain Casey Reed ’12 led Wes with 15 kills and Kim Farris ’14 chipped in with 11 kills of her own. Reed and Farris hammered home the 24th and 25th points, respectively, to seal the second set. Western Conn. was not done, however, and took the third set easily by a count of 25-15, a set in which they controlled from the get-go. Wesleyan took the fourth and final set, again after overcoming an early deficit, this time of 8-5, to win 25-22. Reed nailed home the final point of the fourth set and it proved to be the match winner. Jeanne McPhee ’13 led the Cardinals with 18 digs.

Wes advanced its record to 3-9 overall (0-2 NESCAC) with the win. The victory also bolstered Wes’ all time mark versus Western Conn. to 24-14. The Cardinals will return to NESCAC action this upcoming weekend with an away match at Hamilton College.