Faisal Kirdar/Contributing Photographer

On Wednesday, Sept. 19, the Silloway Gym was filled with Cardinal pride as women’s volleyball took on Connecticut College. After losing their previous two NESCAC matches, the  Cardinals’ goal of the match was to secure the team’s first conference victory and gain some hometown glory in the process. The Cardinal women had not defeated the Camels in the last two years, and they hoped to break this losing streak. Conn College, entering the match 6-1 in season play and 1-1 in the NESCAC, also looked to improve on its overall record.

The first set was a constant battle. With an incredible nine ties in this set alone, the two teams proved to be evenly matched and hungry for victory. The Cardinals had the opportunity to conquer the Camels with two match points, but they were unable to execute the kill that would have ended the set. In a crushing turn, the Cardinals fell in the final moments to a well-placed ace and a kill from Conn College’s front line. The final score of the first set was a painfully close 30-28.

Although the Cardinals fought hard, the Camels dominated the second set. The beginning volleys of the set were quite close, but Conn College, in a series of several dominant kills, took a seven-point lead and then cruised to victory by a margin of 25-14.  The Lady Cardinals, though clearly working together and strategizing well, just could not fight the Camels’ dominant front line.

At the start of the third set, it also appeared that the Camels would cruise to an easy victory over the Cardinals. Conn College gained a comfortable 9-3 lead early on, but then Wesleyan made its comeback. Behind the strong serving of Katie Schad ’13, the Cardinals went on an impressive eight-point run that brought the score to a close 24-21. But Conn College seemed to regain its stride and ultimately pulled off a narrow victory with a 25-21 margin.

Even in defeat, the Cardinals had several standout performers. Talented freshman Sophia Davila once again led the team in digs by recording twelve against the Camels. Monica Leslie ’14 paced the team with nine kills, which brought her season total up to 46. Kim Farris ’14, Kate Centofanti ’14, and Laura Volgenau ’13 each had five kills, while Claire Larson ’15 had a team-high of twenty-four assists.

“We fought hard,” Farris said, noting the team’s focus on the long term. “We have quite a broad range of talent on our team, and we just need to work on harnessing that talent and working together. I’m excited to see what we can do with the rest of our season.”

At this early stage of the season, the Cardinal women stand a 3-3 on the season and 0-3 in  NESCAC play. This weekend, Wesleyan will travel to the New York University Violet Classic. The volleyball team will play three matches at the Classic and will take on New York University on Friday, Sept. 21 before facing Susquehanna University and Haverford College on Saturday, Sept. 22.