After suffering their first loss of the season, No. 18 Wesleyan volleyball returned strong with a 3-1 victory (25-18, 25-17, 19-25, 25-21) against Gallaudet on Friday night in the Bonnie May Invitational, hosted by Smith College. Wesleyan now holds a 4-1 record, while Gallaudet drops to 7-3.
This matchup was a rematch of their 2023 NCAA Tournament First Round clash, where Wesleyan swept Gallaudet 3-0. The Cardinals quickly gained a 2-0 set lead, winning the first two sets by comfortable margins of seven and eight points. Sophie Corbeil ’28 led the team in the first set, tallying four of her nine total kills. Meanwhile, Bianca Gonya ’25 and Fiona LaCamera ’27 combined for four kills, helping Wesleyan secure a .212 hitting percentage compared to Gallaudet’s .056, sealing the first set 25-18.
Senior outside hitter Michelle Jorba ’25 bounced back after a slow first set, taking over in the second. She contributed six of Wesleyan’s kills in the second set, hitting an impressive .750, and Wesleyan’s overall attack reached its peak with a .323 attack percentage. Gonya also contributed two solo blocks as Wesleyan ended the set on a 9-3 run, taking the second set 25-17.
Gallaudet responded in the third set, launching an 11-2 run to take a 20-13 lead before securing the set with a 25-19 win. Wesleyan, despite committing only two attack errors on 32 attempts and hitting .219, couldn’t stop Gallaudet’s momentum. The Bison recorded 15 kills with just four errors and added four service aces to take the set.
With the match at 2-1, Wesleyan halted Gallaudet’s comeback in the fourth set. The Cardinals established an early lead, eventually extending it to 14-7. Although Gallaudet mounted a 5-0 run to come within one point, Wesleyan held firm, winning the set 25-21 and sealing the victory.
Jorba led again in the fourth set, contributing four kills on 11 attempts without errors. Siena Steines ’28 added three kills on nine attempts, while Adrienne Nguyen ’28 posted eight of her 24 digs in the final set.
For the match, Jorba finished with 12 kills and a .310 attack percentage. Corbeil was close to achieving her first career double-double with nine kills and 13 digs. Gonya was highly efficient, hitting .545 with six kills and four blocks (three solo). Steines contributed six kills and nine digs, while LaCamera added four kills and four blocks.
Nguyen matched her career-high with 21 digs and added nine assists. Ella Blair ’28 led the team with 16 assists and contributed three kills. Ali Landa ’26 recorded a double-double with 14 assists and 11 digs.
Wesleyan continues their campaign with two matches on Saturday, facing Middlebury at Noon, followed by a match against the host Smith at 2 PM.
