BRUNSWICK, Maine – The Bowdoin College volleyball team jumped to a 2-0 lead and shrugged off a third set loss to handily defeat Wesleyan University Friday evening at Morrell Gymnasium, 3-1 (25-20, 25-12, 17-25, 25-22).
 
The Polar Bears win their NESCAC and home-opening match to improve to 3-2 (1-0 NESCAC). The Cardinals drop to 3-1 (0-1 NESCAC) with their first setback of the year.
 
Match Highlights

• The teams traded the lead in the opening set before a 5-1 Bowdoin run, capped by a Sophia Pahl ace, gave the hosts some breathing room and a 20-16 lead. Moments later Cori Gray, who had seven kills in the first frame, finished it off with a kill and a 25-20 win.
• Bowdoin overwhelmed the Cardinals in set two, rolling off a 6-1 run in the middle of the frame to take a 16-9 advantage and then finishing with an 8-2 run to take a commanding 2-0 lead with a 25-12 win.
• Wesleyan bounced back in the third, stringing together their most impressive run of the evening, a 7-1 surge that brought them from down 12-11 to up 17-13 late in the set. A 6-0 run on Jenna Otaola's service put the score out of reach as the Cardinals trimmed the lead to 2-1 with a 25-17 win.
• Tied at 10 apiece in the fourth set, Bowdoin rolled off four straight points, including three straight kills from Pahl, to take a lead they would not relinquish. The Cardinals got as close as two points, at 22-20, but a bad set by Wesleyan and an ace by Pahl put Bowdoin on the brink and, one point later, Sarah Evans put home the clincher off a feed from Ella Haugen, 25-22.

By The Numbers

• Cori Gray and Sophia Pahl led the way for Bowdoin, combining for 28 kills on the night. Gray had 16 kills with five blocks while Pahl put home 12 kills, had four aces and 12 digs.
• Bowdoin got 45 assists from Ella Haugen and Maya White paced the team with 18 digs. Jaida Hodge-Adams also had nine kills and four aces for the Polar Bears.
• The Cardinals got 15 kills from Sydney Smith while Maddie Kurke added nine.
• Grace Dennis contributed 35 assists while Jenna Otaola had a team-best 14 digs for Wesleyan.

Up Next

• Bowdoin returns to action Saturday afternoon when they host Connecticut College at 2:00 p.m.