On Wednesday, Sept. 26, the Wesleyan women’s volleyball team set out to win some hometown glory, taking on Western Connecticut State University on the road. Looking to end a crushing losing streak, the Cardinals were hungry for a win with a 3-6 record. Conversely, Western Conn entered the match 8-5 and had defeated its last five opponents and hoping to add the Cardinals to that list.

At the end of the day, Wesleyan’s intrastate rival proved to be no match for the team despite its better record. The Cardinals took the match in straight sets, 25-19, 25-20, and 25-20, which improved their all-time record against Western Conn to 25-15 with this most recent victory.

In a refreshing turn following their winless period, the Cardinal women dominated across the board. Wesleyan particularly dominated Western Conn in the defensive game. Sofia Davila ’16 led the way in digs with 22 of the team’s 57, and the Cardinal front line registered seven blocks on the contest. At the other end, Wesleyan held Western Conn without a single block in three sets.

Wesleyan also played a much more efficient offensive game than its opponent. The key to victory wasn’t the close 40-35 edge in kills but the wide disparity in errors. Western Conn committed 22 errors on the match, while Wesleyan was charged with just 10. The ease with which the Cardinals prevailed on Wednesday is a testament to their controlled play.

Some familiar faces made major contributions to the Cardinals’ winning effort. In addition to Davila on the defensive end, Kim Farris ’14 once again led the Cards with 14 kills, and Kate Centofanti ’14 tacked on 10 kills of her own. Claire Larson ’15 facilitated the offense marvelously, by recording an impressive 35 assists on the match. This shows how flawlessly the Cardinals executed their game plan, as Larson, Wesleyan’s setter, was heavily involved in the attack; Davila was the only other Cardinal to record an assist, and she only had one. In the service game, tri-captain Jeanne McPhee ’13 led the way with five aces, and Wesleyan posted nine overall.

“We did a great job of spreading the net and seeing and then reacting to what Western was doing,” Farris commented after the match. “It was a lot of fun to play that well and bring home a win.”

This weekend, the Cardinal women will be on the road again and will enter another round of conference play against a pair of NESCAC rivals. The team will take on the Bowdoin Polar Bears on Friday, Sept. 28 before taking on the Tufts Jumbos on Saturday, Sept. 29.