At the Cardinal Invitational this past weekend, the women’s volleyball team swept the competition, finishing 3-0 and recording victories over Amherst, Trinity and Wheaton.
On Friday evening, the Cardinals played host to Little Three rival Amherst in the opening game of the tournament. Tory Molnar ’07 led the way for the Cardinals with twenty defensive digs and Rebecca Rodgers ’08 added 47 serving assists as the Cardinals went on to defeat Amherst in three straight games.
Commenting on the match, Erin Reding ’06 said, “The game was fantastic and the crowd was huge. We dominated Amherst and they had no idea what to do. Usually they are a very tough team to beat but from the first point to the last we didn’t let them take control of the game.”
Carrying their momentum into Saturday, the Cardinals faced off against the Trinity Bantams. After winning the first game, the Cardinals dropped their next two, meaning another loss would cost them the match. But with the help of Reding and Lisa Drennan ’09 who recorded 17 and 22 kills respectively, the team stepped up and took the next two games and the match. “The game against Trinity was the toughest of the tournament,” said Reding. “They have a really strong team that never quits.”
On Saturday afternoon, Wesleyan clinched the tournament victory, defeating Wheaton in three straight games.
“This weekend was amazing,” said Drennan. “The team came out Friday night to play and we acted more competitive than we have been this season so far. I would have to say that our team was so successful this past weekend because of our great chemistry on and off the court.”
As a result of her team-high 49 kills and solid 36.1 hitting percentage, Drennan was named to her third all-tournament team this season. Reding added 40 kills and 22 blocks to earn all-tournament honors as well. As a team for the tournament, Wesleyan hit at 28.3 efficiency, high above their average for the season thus far.
“We were all motivated to win and play our hardest this weekend”, Drennan said, summarizing the tournament. “The fan support this weekend was definitely a factor in our success. Hopefully the fans who came realized how much fun it is to watch Wes volleyball and will bring all of their friends to our next games.”
Wesleyan continues its action this Wednesday, hosting Albertus Magnus at 7 p.m.
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