MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – The Eastern Connecticut State University women's volleyball team rallied from match point to win the third set and extend the match before Wesleyan University closed it out with a ten-point win in the fourth set in non-conference action Thursday night at Silloway Gymnasium. Wesleyan won by scores of 25-22, 25-22, 25-27, 25-15.

Eastern (3-6) attacked at .319 through the first two sets – better than twice its season percentage – but lost both. The Warriors couldn't hold an early five-point lead in the first set, Wesleyan (3-1) finally taking the lead for good, 21-20. There were 16 ties in the second set, with the hosts scoring the final four points on two kills, an attack error and a set-sending ace by Sarah Swenson.

The Warriors led only once (by a point) through most of the third set but stayed alive by with a late rally. Eastern broke serve on match points on sophomore middle Megan Macomber's (South Windsor) kill and after a Wesleyan attack errror, successive aces by first-year junior transfer Fabiana Della-Monica (Newark, DE) – the national JUCO leader in aces – pushed Eastern into its first lead (25-24) since 7-6. With the score tied at 25, junior Ashley Adams (Mystic) put down a feed from Della-Monica and Macomber and junior Kay Mullen (Fairhaven, MA) combined on a set-ending block.

Eastern never led in the fourth set, the Cardinals scoring four of the set's five points in one early stretch which moved them into a seven-point, 16-9 lead.

Junior Hannah Bryant (Avon)  had 15 kills and a .345 attack percentage for Eastern, which finished with a .204 attack percentage. Junior Adrianna Mihalek (Woodbury) had 13 kills, Mullen ten kills and a .320 attack percentage, and Adams nine kills. Macomber led the way with five block assists, Mullen adding four. Senior libero Allie Luppi (Tewksbury, MA) dug up 19 balls and freshman Leah Sopneski (Deep River) recorded 28 assists.

Caroline Diemer led Wesleyan with 15 kills, Swenson adding 12. Rachel Savage dug up 31 balls and Heidi Westerman set for 40 assists.

Eastern opens Little East Conference play Saturday, hosting the University of Massachusetts Boston at noon at Geissler Gym.