Lancers Drop First Game of Wesleyan Tournament to Cardinals

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – Wesleyan's freshman Audrey Konow (Chicago, Ill.) dished out a game-high 31 assists and Rachel Savage (Portland, Ore.) led all players with 16 digs to help lead the Cardinals volleyball team to a 3-0 (27-25, 25-22, 25-12) win over Worcester State Friday (Sep. 9) night inside the Silloway Gymnasium.

The first set featured an intense back-and-forth matchup that saw 14 ties and seven lead changes. The Lancers were ahead 25-24 until Wesleyan's Savage evened the score before Wesleyan followed with two consecutive kills from Madeleine Lundberg (Newton, Mass.) and Mia Hogan (Belmont, Calif.), sealing the 27-25 victory.

Wesleyan's momentum carried into the second set as the Cardinals outscored the Lancers 12-2 early on. Following a kill from Konow put Wesleyan up, 23-11. Worcester State retaliated with 11 unanswered points from newcomers Sarah Powers (Hopkinson, Mass.), Megan Leavens (W. Boylston, Mass.), Stephanie Chapin (Hampden, Mass.) and Lauren Murphy (Taunton, Mass.). Following a timeout from the home team, a kill by Hogan stopped the streak, while Sarah Swenson (Woodstock, Conn.) won the set with a kill and assist from Konow.

The third set was all Wesleyan. After back-to-back service aces by Olivia Guidotti (Orinda, Calif.) an attack error by Worcester State, the Cardinals pulled away with a commanding 20-8 lead. This time, the deficit proved to be too for the visitor's as Wesleyan claimed the third set, 25-13, to win the match.

Wesleyan had 41 total kills for a .222 hitting percentage, while the Lancers finished with 27 and a .061 mark. Swenson and Lundberg led the Cardinals with nine kills each, while Hogan added eight.

Stephanie Chapin had a team-high six kills for Worcester State, Alexandra Nolan (Melrose, Mass.) led the team with 17 assists, and Katrina Kangwijaya (Dunstable, Mass.) recorded 11 digs.

The Cardinals return to the court tomorrow, Sept. 10 and will host Western Connecticut State at 11 a.m. followed by Mitchell at 1 p.m. Worcester State is back in action tomorrow as well, and will remain at Silloway Gymnasium for a matchup against Mitchell at 11 a.m. and Western Connecticut State at 1 p.m.

Release Courtesy of Wesleyan Sports Information