The volleyball team split two non-conference matches this past Saturday, Oct. 26 as it prepared for its final regular season bouts against NESCAC foes. UMass Dartmouth hosted both contests.

The Cardinals started the day against New Hampshire-based opponent Keene State College. Wesleyan expected a tough match, as Keene State entered the weekend with a strong overall record of 17-12. However, the degree to which Keene State dominated the Cardinals was a surprise.

Throughout the match, Keene State did a phenomenal defensive job, racking up 41 digs through three sets. The Cardinals could not capitalize against this defense and ultimately succumbed to their own mishits, committing 14 hitting errors. As a result of both good defensive play by Keene State and sloppy hitting by Wesleyan, the Cardinals recorded only 17 kills over the course of the match.

Captain Kate Centofanti ’14 led the team with four individual kills, while fellow captain Kim Farris ’14, who downed 20 kills in her best performance in a three-set match this year, had just three. Claire Larson ’15 also saw her production drop, providing just nine assists, though this can be largely attributed to poor hitting accuracy by Larson’s teammates.

Wesleyan’s severely limited production led to an easy win for Keene State by a score of 3-0 (25-16, 25-21, 25-11). The loss dropped the Cardinals’ overall record to 7-13. Fortunately for Wesleyan, it had another match scheduled for the very same day. This time, the Cardinals would face a struggling team: host UMass Dartmouth, sporting an overall record of 7-18 entering the weekend.

Wesleyan’s offense came roaring back to start the match as the Cardinals rolled to a dominating 25-16 win in the first set. Wesleyan’s production rose right back up against a weaker defense, and by the match’s end Wesleyan had landed more than double the kills they recorded against Keene State. Farris and fellow captain Monica Leslie ’14 had 23 kills between the two of them, leading the Cardinals to a total of 39. Larson was back on track, serving up 34 assists, and Rachel Savage ’17 managed 12 digs.

All of this was enough for the Cardinals to earn a 3-0 (25-16, 25-23, 25-22) victory. The win was important in resurrecting the team’s confidence in the wake of recent struggles, as Wesleyan looks ahead to its two most important and difficult matches so far this season.

On Friday, Nov. 1, the Cardinals take on Little Three rival Amherst, and then on the following Saturday their other Little Three foe, Williams. Williams leads the conference with an 8-0 record, and Amherst lags just a bit behind with a record of 6-2. Nothing is guaranteed for the Cardinals even if they pull off wins in both matches, but they must win at least one in order to have any chance at a playoff berth.