BRUNSWICK, Maine – The Connecticut College volleyball team concluded its season with a 3-0 setback against Wesleyan at the NESCAC Tournament being hosted by Bowdoin College on Friday evening. Set scores were 25-20, 25-12, and 25-20.
 
Connecticut College had a 3-2 lead following a kill by freshman Katherine Randall (Chicago, Ill.), but the Cardinals responded by rattling off six straight points with Grace Bell serving. The Camels, however, bounced back with a 6-0 run of their own by benefiting from Cardinal miscues and found themselves up 12-9 on an ace by Randall. But following seven ties and four lead changes, Wesleyan was able to prevail. Maddie Kurke broke a 19-19 tie, and the Cardinals were able to clinch and win the set by five on a Camel attacking error.
 
Wesleyan (16-5), which is seeded second in the tournament, used the momentum it gained by scoring five of the last six points in the first set over to the second. The Cardinals burst out to a 9-1 advantage and were never seriously challenged afterwards. The Camels came within four at 14-10 when junior Katie Gunderman (Oakland, Calif.) and senior Avery Light (Sudbury, Mass.) teamed up for a block, but they came no closer. A Grace Bell ace capped an impressive 11-2 run and gave the Cardinals a 13-point set win.
 
Sophomore Natasha Shrivastava (San Diego, Calif.) set up classmate Emma Wheeler (Meredith, N.H.) and Gunderman for kills to give the Camels an early 2-0 lead in the third. However, Wesleyan rallied again and jumped ahead by answering with three straight. Although Connecticut College remained competitive for the remainder of the frame, they could never get over the hump. Brina Kuslak and Dennis went up for an attempted block to help force a Camel attacking error, and the Cardinals took the set by five as well as the match to advance to tomorrow's semifinal round.
 
Kurke registered 16 kills and a .406 hitting percentage to lead the way for Wesleyan, while Dennis had 37 assists. Bell finished with 13 digs and five aces, and Jenna Otaola posted a team-leading 18 digs.
 
Freshman Julia Dailey (Charlottesville, Va.) notched 16 digs, and junior Christina Leduc (Mendon, Mass.) recorded five kills and 13 digs for Connecticut College, which advanced to the NESCAC Tournament for the first time since 2016. Shrivastava ended the match with 20 assists and six digs, while Light contributed four kills and three blocks in her final game as a collegian.
 
Connecticut College (9-11) graduates just one senior and is slated to return more than 10 letterwinners next season.