The women’s volleyball team hit the road last weekend for another round of NESCAC play. Coming off a strong victory against Western Conn., the Cardinals entered these matches hoping to maintain their winning streak and capture their first victory of the year against a conference competitor.
On Friday, Sept. 28, the Cardinals journeyed to Brunswick, Maine to take on the Bowdoin Polar Bears. The Polar Bears are the NESCAC defending champions and are undefeated in league play this season. Wesleyan hoped to be the ones to break this impressive winning streak, but fortune did not favor the Cardinals, who fell 3-0 with set scores of 15-25, 18-25, and 15-25.
Bowdoin dominated most of the play with a .337 hitting efficiency and an impressive fifteen aces in the match. However, the Cardinals posted some solid stats of their own. Kim Farris ’14 led the team with 10 kills and 24 assists. Kate Centofanti ’14 matched Farris’ total of 24 and contributed six kills of her own. Claire Larson ’15 also made an impact by contributing 23 assists. Despite the defeat, the Cardinals showed that their front line is strong, and that they have both offensive and defensive talent.
On Saturday, Sept. 28, Wesleyan headed to outer Boston to take on the Jumbos of Tufts. The first set belonged to the Jumbos, who after an 11-4 run secured their victory by a 25-15 margin. However, the Cardinals really showed their depth in the second set. The point-for-point battle reached a 24-24 tie before an accurately aimed kill from Laura Volgenau ’13 and a well-timed block assist from Centofanti and Abby Southam ’16 delivered the Cards to victory by a slim margin of 26-24.
Unfortunately for Wesleyan, Tufts bounced back in the third set, as the Jumbos held the lead for most of the frame and cruised to victory by a margin of 25-12. The fourth set echoed the second as the Cards inched close to victory late in the match with a 20-19 lead. However, Tufts squashed any hopes for a fifth set by sealing the match on a 6-0 run. The Cardinals who shined in this match include freshman sensation Sofia Davila, who had an impressive 19 kills, and Larson, who had a match high of 29 assists. Kim Farris had 34 assists and led the team with 11 blocks, and Volgenau recorded a solid five blocks.
“We had hard losses this weekend, but are looking to make our mark in the NESCAC this season starting next weekend with the Amherst and Trinity matches,” co-captain Katie Schad ’13 remarked.
“We’ve learned a lot from our losses and will definitely be using that to our advantage in the coming weeks.”
Wesleyan stands at 0-5 in the NESCAC and 4-8 in season play. The Cardinals hit the road again this weekend as they take on Little Three rival Amherst on Friday, Oct. 5. On Saturday, the Cardinals will compete for home state glory in Hartford as they play the Trinity Bantams and the Roger Williams University Hawks at Trinity’s gymnasium.