On Wednesday night, the volleyball team traveled to New Hampshire to take on the Keene State Owls in a non-conference matchup. Despite a late rally that forced a fifth set, Wesleyan was defeated 3-2.
Keene State took the opening two sets of the match, winning the first 25-21 and barely edging out the Cards in the second, winning 27-25. Going into the third frame, the Owls had all the momentum, but a determined Wesleyan squad staged an exciting comeback. Determined not to be swept, the Cards rallied from a 25-24 deficit to pull out a 27-25 win. The Cards continued their hot streak in the fourth set, taking it 25-21, and it looked like the teams were headed for a repeat of their 2008 match, when Wesleyan dropped the first two sets but rallied for a 3-2 win. However, in the fifth and deciding set, Keene State jumped out to an early lead and rolled to a 15-6 win to take the match.
Despite the loss, there were some standout individual performances. Sophomores Casey Reed and Alissa Santucci led the offense with 11 kills each, and Ruby Hernandez ’11 added 23 digs to the Wesleyan effort. Senior setter Ellie Healy finished with a match-high 44 assists for the Cards.
Wesleyan is now 0-4 for the first time since 1998, when the Cardinals opened the season 0-5. That year, however, four of Wesleyan’s first five losses came by scores of 3-0 or 3-1.
The Cardinals finished the season 15-19, one of only two losing campaigns since 1998.
Wesleyan opens its NESCAC schedule this weekend, traveling to Tufts for a Friday evening match and taking on Bowdoin in Medford on Saturday.
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