The Wesleyan volleyball team started the season strong but faced ups and downs through the month of September, ultimately struggling to consistently put away opponents.

“We needed to focus [on] consistency,” defensive specialist Elliana Moreno ’27 said. “We had a lot of times where we would just be doing really well, and we would have a great week of practices, but then the next week something would feel off. So that was really our main goal, to focus on our consistency, focus on high energy, and to have that translate [into results].”

On Friday, Oct. 4, the Cardinals took on Trinity in what would be the first game of three consecutive doubleheader weekends of NESCAC play. After almost a month of road matches, the Cards were glad to be back playing in Silloway Gymnasium, but Trinity would be no easy opponent. The Bantams came into the matchup 12–1 on the season, but the Cards knew that they had what it took to stop their momentum.

“I wanted to win,” captain and outside hitter Michelle Jorba ’25 said. “Trinity is also one of our biggest rivals. I think everyone was feeling really cocky, but [in] a good way. Everyone was like, ‘We’re doing this; let’s crush them.’”

The Cards started slowly in the first set, and although they led through the middle of the set, Trinity cut the lead to one at 18–17. From then on, it was all Red and Black as they rattled off seven straight points including five kills by captain and outside hitter Jorba to take the opening set 25–17. In the second, the Bantams took control, putting the Cards back 9–14. But just like before, Wes fought back and took a 19–18 lead that would never be relinquished—since they ended the set 25–20.

The third set remained close with the Cards down to 22–21 towards the end, but they locked down and sealed the match with yet another Jorba kill, taking the final set 25–23. Jorba finished the match with a career-high-tying 17 kills. With that, the Cards had their first NESCAC sweep of the season.

“That game was our first home game in a month. The [men’s] hockey team always pulls through, and we always have big, big crowds,” defensive specialist Adrienne Nguyen ’28 said. “So I think having that game and having a big crowd was really what helped us have those wins in tough sets, and really come together as a team.”

The next day, Conn. College came to town, and the Cards looked to hand the Camels their fourth straight NESCAC loss. While the Camels put up a fight in the first set, the Cards led from 4–3 on and never let up the lead, taking the set 25–20. The second set stayed close with the Cards up at only 20–19, but they won five of the last seven points to take it 25–21.

The third set was nearly identical—the teams held close and were tied at 17, before the Cards pulled away and took the set 25–20 with 19 kills, securing their second straight sweep. Ali Landa ’26 recorded a career-high 32 assists in the victory. For her exceptional weekend of play, Jorba took home the NESCAC Player of the Week Award with 28 kills across the two matches.

The homestand continued as Hamilton came to town to take on the Cards on Friday, Oct. 11. Wes controlled the first set: Thanks to 10 attack errors by the Continentals, the Cards took the set 25–16. The second was a different story. Hamilton jumped out to an early lead and held it, narrowly taking down the Cards 22–25. In the third, it looked like the Continentals had the Cards figured out at 8–13, but the Cards made up ground and took a close set 25–23.

The fourth set was pure dominance for the Cards, who won the set 25–12, taking 16 of the last 19 points. Jorba and outside hitter Morgan Mattson ’28 led the way with 15 kills apiece. Mattson also recorded 11 digs for the second double-double of her career. On top of this, captain and middle hitter Bianca Gonya ’25 matched her career-high with nine blocks.

Nguyen talked about how the team came together to win.

“When we had a winning streak, it’s easy to get in your own head about thinking about the next game, not really focusing on beating Hamilton now,” Nguyen said. “And having our captains to ground us and really finding it within our team is what I think carried us through to actually winning that game.”

The weekend concluded with the first Little Three matchup of the year, as Wes took on Amherst. The Mammoths took the first set, but in the second, the Cards flipped the momentum, hitting 16 kills en route to a 25–15 win. The third was more of the same, as the Cards hit a ridiculous .520 hit percentage, adding another 15 kills and taking the set 25–12. In the fourth, Wes led all the way, surviving several pushes from the Mammoths to win the set 25–19 and securing their fourth straight victory.

“Our coach always tells us, ‘If you just put 50%, it’s not gonna work, especially against these teams,’” Moreno said. “Just putting in that little bit extra effort, we were able to sweep them for the rest.”

With the Little Three title on the line, Wes hit the road to face Williams. The match started comfortably with the Cards leading the whole way in each of the first two sets. In the first, Wes committed only two errors, winning 25–17. In the second, they won eight of the last nine points, winning the set 25–16 and taking a 2–0 set lead.

In the third, the Cards were not quite as dominant, but they still fought to a match point at 24–23. The Ephs saved it, and the set went into extras. But the Cards failed to convert three more match points, eventually losing by 31–33. With Wes losing momentum, Williams controlled the fourth set, which the Cards lost 22–25. In a do-or-die fifth set for the Little Three, the Cards understood what they had to do and jumped out to a commanding 9–4 lead. But the Ephs were not discouraged. Late in the set, the Cardinals found themselves down 12–13, facing their toughest loss of the year. 

Nevertheless, Wes would not be stopped. With two errors by Williams and an ace from outside hitter Carly Grumet ’28, they took the set and the Little Three Championship.

“[Williams] definitely make it a very hostile space, which I honestly think for the past four years has benefited us,” Gonya said. “We really thrive under pressure. We went to the fifth set…feeling really pumped and excited. I think they were up at one point, but we ended up turning it around. Our freshman Carly [Grumet ’28] went on a crazy serving streak at the end. And it was a really incredible moment.”

Nguyen talked about the excitement of the victory.

“When our coach Sarina [Singer] pulled out the Little Three Champions banner, we were all jumping around,” Nguyen said. “It was so exciting. And physically, we’re so tired, but we were still able to come together and really celebrate our moment. I think it really showed who we are as a team—even when we were not playing our best, or when we were shaken, we were able to come back and beat Williams like that.”

After five straight wins, which brought their record to 12–5 overall and 6–1 in conference, the Cardinals went north to Vermont to take on Middlebury. Last year, Wes took down the Panthers in a five-set comeback and looked to put them away again. This time, however, the Cards were playing from behind, having lost the first two sets. Although they won the third, they conceded a close fourth set to end their win streak.

Nguyen commented on what the loss meant for the team.

“It forced us to take a step back,” Nguyen said. “And it was just a moment where we were like, ‘we need to go back in the gym and continue working; we’re not done with the work just yet.”

Next up, the Cards faced a three-game slate of nationally ranked teams. They took on no. 1 Juniata College, no. 19 Ithaca College, and no. 4 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Although the Cards were swept by both Juniata and MIT, they took Ithaca to five sets, winning both the third and fourth before coming up short in the fifth.

Coming out of this stretch, the Cards looked to get back on track in their final weekend of regular-season play, with a Nov. 1 matchup against Tufts. The Jumbos took the first two sets with ease, and although the Cardinals put up a fight in the third, they fell to Tufts in straight sets. 

With the final game of the regular season coming up, the Cards needed a win; not only for morale, but also to secure home-court advantage in the NESCAC Quarterfinals. They made the trek up to Lewiston, ME, to take on Bates and close out their regular season.

“We were very confident going into it,” Moreno said. “So we just wanted to use that opportunity to bring our confidence back up into the next weekend.”

The Cards took the first set 25–17 with little resistance from the Bobcats, but the second was tighter, with the Cards surviving a late push by Bates to win 25–23. The Bobcats took the third, putting pressure on Wes. But in the fourth, the Cards performed in the clutch—coming up from 17–20 to win 25–23. With the season back on track and momentum once again in the Red and Black’s favor, they looked to once again face the Bantams on Saturday, Nov. 9, in Middletown.

Gonya talked about preparing for the playoffs.

“We prepared really well for Trinity,” Gonya said. “We were focused on the skills and the strengths that they (Trinity) specifically had during our week of practice. So I think that knowing what they like to do and what they were planning on doing definitely benefited us, and we could just trust our training.”

With Trinity’s fans filling the away stands, the Cards took the court with the hope to silence the Bantam faithful. In the first set, the two sides went back and forth exchanging runs, but the Cards eventually fell 25–27. In the second, the Cards came out with fire, jumping out to a 16–9 lead and finishing the set off 25–14. The Bantams committed nine errors—more than their eight kills, and the Cards looked to take a lead in the third. The set was tight, as neither team jumped ahead too far, but eventually, the Bantams led by three, 18–21. As they had done so many times before, the Cards rallied and took the lead on four straight kills (three straight from outside hitter Siena Steines ’28) before sealing the deal 25–22. The Bantams were relentless: In yet another tight set, the Cards fell 22–25. The match would come down to a decisive fifth set. Facing elimination, the Cards fell into an 8–11 hole and faced several of the most important points of their entire season.

“It was 8–11 Trinity, and I was like, ‘Please, let us win the point,’” Jorba said. “And then we won it, and then we won it again. And I remember [Coach] Ben [Somera] did a switch—he put me on the outside to block the right side—and we won the game.”

With ice in their veins, the Cards rattled off point after point—seven straight—to take the set and the match, advancing to the semifinals.

“It was so satisfying to beat them,” Nguyen said. “And I definitely remember in the fifth set, usually, like in volleyball, when you are at a fifth set, if you’re down by even five points, it’s over for you. But the fact that we were able to go seven points in a row at the end was just unbelievable. It was really good energy all night.”

While the Cards came up short in the semifinals against Middlebury, the future is bright.

For their exceptional seasons, Jorba and Gonya were named to the All-NESCAC Teams, with Jorba being named to the first-team and Gonya to the second.

Jorba talked about her time at Wes and her hopes for the program.

“Honestly, I feel very content and happy,” Jorba said. “I’m happy with the program and the legacy that I feel like my class left. Everyone loves each other so much. I love my teammates, I love the sophomore class. I love the freshmen, I love the juniors. So I’m very happy with my time here.”

The Cards go into the off-season excited to start again next fall, knowing they have what it takes to climb to the top of the NESCAC.

“I [have] a lot of excitement for next year,” Nguyen said. “We’re a pretty young team, and I think throughout the spring, we’re gonna have so much time together to really work and actually build a stronger team dynamic. What I’ve seen over the season is that we have so many great skills. I feel like I’ve seen all of all of the players really step up and do a lot for the team, and I’m really excited to continue developing those skills so we can cohesively come together for next season.”

Ethan Lee can be reached at ejlee@wesleyan.edu.

Erin Byerly can be reached at ebyerly@wesleyan.edu.