NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College women's volleyball team dropped a 3-0 decision to No. 12 Wesleyan University on Thursday night in NESCAC action at Luce Field House.
The Cardinals (15-1 overall, 7-0 NESCAC) picked up their fifth-straight victory by set scores of 25-13, 25-18 and 25-16. Sophia Lindus (Los Angeles, Calif.) posted a match-high 11 kills and added eight digs in the win, and Kathryn Morton (Dripping Springs, Texas) and Bella Ahearn (Orlando, Fla.) chipped in nine kills apiece.
Riley Lord (Exeter, N.H.) paced the Camels with seven kills and a match-high 11 digs.
Christina Leduc (North Dennis, Mass.) and
Katherine Randall (Chicago, Ill.) each added six kills.
With the score tied at 4-4 in the opening set, Wesleyan pulled in front behind a 4-0 stretch that featured kills by Morton, Ahearn and Lindus, as well as a service ace by Lindus. The Cardinals never relinquished the lead, expanding the margin as the set wore on. The visitors finished with 14 kills—four of which came from Lindus—and hit .520 in the stanza.
Conn fell behind 4-0 in the second set but clawed its way back, winning nine of the next 13 points to go up 9-8. Lord played a big role in the stretch, providing a pair of kills while serving for four points. However, the Cardinals took the lead for good at 11-10 on a service error, and quickly built the margin to 18-12 following back-to-back kills by Lindus. Ahearn later provided her fifth kill of the set as Wesleyan went up 2-0 in the match.
The final set featured six ties and three lead changes as the Camels hung tough against the top team in the NESCAC standings. Leduc supplied three kills in the early stages of the set, and a finish by
Emma Wheeler (Meredith, N.H.) tied the score at 10-10. Wesleyan responded with four straight points to seize the reins, forcing Conn to take a timeout. Lindus came back with a kill out of the break to make it 15-10, and the Cardinals won 10 of the final 15 points to sew up the decision.
Grace Dennis (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) fueled the Wesleyan offense with a match-high 29 assists. Zoe Swift (New York, N.Y.) was a force at the net, finishing with four of the Cardinals' 13 blocks on the night.
Conn (6-9 overall, 1-7 NESCAC) will next host Trinity College on Saturday, October 15 at 2 p.m.
