Fall 2008 Female Team: Volleyball

The volleyball team had a very impressive 2008 season, finishing with an overall record of 21-7, including 8-2 in NESCAC play. After beginning the season 2-2, with out of conference defeats to Wellesley College and Montclair St. University, the Cardinals righted the ship and won 19 out of their next 24 matches. Wesleyan boasted the league leader in kills, Lisa Drennan ’09, with 4.70 per set, as well as Elika Healey ’09, who finished second in the conference in assists with an average of 10.18 per set. Drennan also finished second in the NESCAC in hitting percentage. As a team, the Cards were best in the league in hitting percentage, assists and kills. Ruby Hernandez ’11 was a stalwart on defense, racking up 523 digs in 2008 for an average of 4.80 per set and ranking third in the conference. Coach Gale Lackey achieved a milestone in her Wesleyan career, reaching the 400th win of her career when the Cardinals’ defeated Hamilton College on Sept. 19. She became only the second coach in Wesleyan athletics’ history to achieve this mark. Despite all this firepower, the Cardinals’ season was unfortunately ended in the NESCAC semifinals. After beating Amherst the first two times the team’s faced off in 2008, the third time was a charm for the Lord Jeffs: They defeated the second-seeded Cardinals, 3-1, ending Wesleyan’s season. In their final matches, Drennan amassed an incredible 21 kills and 21 digs, and Healey added 46 assists. The all-NESCAC rosters are expected to be announced later this week, with several Cardinals vying for spots.