Wojtkiewicz leads Western comeback in 3-2 win over Wesleyan
Kelley Collins name tournament MVP
DANBURY, CT (Oct. 22) —
Freshman Nina Wojtkiewicz (Griswold, CT) hit kills to close out games four and five as the Western Connecticut State University volleyball team came from 2-0 down to defeat Wesleyan University Saturday afternoon at Feldman Arena.
The game one score remained tight early until senior Paxton Thornton (Sharon, CT) had three kills in four points to push Western out to an 11-7 lead. A kill by freshman Heather Williams (Kingston, NY) made the score 13-10 in favor of the Colonials, but after a side-out, Laura Yim (San Mateo, CA) stepped to the service line for Wesleyan. Yim served 15 straight points for the Cardinals and Wesleyan took game one 25-13.
In game two, Western took a 4-4 tie and turned it into an 11-6 lead behind two kills by Williams. A kill by Wojtkiewicz made the margin 17-9, but then Yim took the service line for Wesleyan and led the Cardinals on an eight-point run to level the score at 17-all. Two kills by Williams, one by Thornton, and one by Wojtkiewicz brought Western to game-point at 24-21. Wesleyan scored four straight points to take a 25-24 lead, prompting a WCSU timeout. Western took the next two points, and with a 26-25 lead appeared to score the game-winning point, but the officials declared a Wesleyan block didn’t make contact with the ball, so play continued with the score 26-26. The Cardinals won three of the next four points for a 29-27 win and a 2-0 lead in the match.
Wesleyan jumped out to a 3-0 lead in game three, but a kill and an ace by senior Michelle Hearns (Bedford Hills, NY) put the Colonials on top 7-6. A Wojtkiewicz kill made the margin 12-8 and a block by Williams helped Western maintain the advantage at 19-14. There would be no comeback for Wesleyan this time, as an ace by Thornton and another Wojktiewicz kill down the stretch kept the Colonials alive with a 25-17 victory.
Wesleyan again established an early advantage in game four, taking a 9-5 lead after an ace by Katie Schad (Studio City, CA). Western clawed its way back, but still trailed 15-13 until Wojtkiewicz hit a kill and then took the service line and led the Colonials on an eight-point run for a 21-15 lead. Two kills by Thornton and a game-winner by Wojtkiewicz gave Western game two, 25-20, and evened the match at 2-2.
In game five, neither team led by more than one point until two Wojtkiewicz kills helped Western turn a 10-10 tie into a 13-10 advantage. After a Wesleyan timeout, the Cardinals scored the next two points, but a side-out set up match-point in favor of Western. Wojtkiewicz’s match-winning hit went off the Wesleyan block, rolled across the top of the net, and landed out of bounds to give Western a 15-12 win in game five and a 3-2 win for the match.
For the match, Wojtkiewicz led Western with 24 kills, while also recording 11 digs and two blocks. Freshman Jennifer Hogan (Franklin Square, NY) handed out 52 assists, and senior Kelley Collins (Massapequa, NY) had 33 digs and was named the tournament’s MVP. For Wesleyan, Monica Leslie (Newton, MA) led with 19 kills, Claire Larson (Chanhassen, MN) had 57 assists, and Jeanne McPhee (San Francisco, CA) had 31 digs.
With the win, Western stands at 20-8 on the season, while Wesleyan falls to 8-16. The Colonials return to action on Tuesday, October 25th, when they travel to play Little East Conference rival Rhode Island College in a match scheduled to begin at 6:00pm.
Western - 13 27 25 25 15 - 3
Wesleyan - 25 29 17 20 12 - 2
All-Tournament Team
Kelly Collins – Western (MVP)
Nina Wojtkiewicz – Western
Laura Yim – Wesleyan
Meg Flaherty – Babson
Michelle Danhof – US Merchant Marine Academy
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