Women's Volleyball

Wesleyan Grabs No. 1 Seed in 2025 NESCAC Volleyball Championship

HADLEY, Mass. - The Wesleyan Cardinals are the top seed in the 2025 NESCAC Volleyball Championship after a thrilling five-set victory over Bates in the regular-season finale. The Cardinals secured the No. 1 seed for the third time in four years.

The NESCAC Volleyball Tournament begins on Saturday, November 8, with quarterfinal matches hosted by the higher seeds. Winners will advance to the semifinals on Friday, November 14, and the championship match is scheduled for Saturday, November 15. The highest remaining seed after quarterfinals will host the remaining rounds.

No. 1 Wesleyan (19-2, 9-1 NESCAC) vs. No. 8 Bates (12-9, 3-7 NESCAC)
  • Wesleyan is the No. 1 seed for the fourth time in team history and third time in five seasons.
  • The Cardinals have qualified for the NESCAC Tournament for nine consecutive years and have been a top-four seed for eight of those appearances.
  • Wesleyan looks to reach the semifinals for the eighth straight season and has played in three of the last four championship matches.
  • Bates is in the tournament field for the second time in three years. The Bobcats are the No. 8 seed for the first time since 2017.
  • Bates closed the regular season winning three of its final four matches. The lone loss was a five-set setback to Wesleyan.
  • The quarterfinal will be a rematch of the regular-season finale. Wesleyan owns a 3-2 edge over the Bobcats in the NESCAC Tournament series. The teams last met in the 2019 quarterfinals with the Cardinals posting a 3-0 victory.
No. 2 Colby (21-2, 9-1 NESCAC) vs. No. 7 Conn. College (12-10, 3-7 NESCAC)
  • Colby is the No. 2 seed for the second time in three years and is making its fourth straight appearance in the tournament field.
  • The 2024 NESCAC Runners-Up, the Mules, played in their first championship match since 2005 last season.
  • Colby finished out the regular season with three straight wins and is looking to make back-to-back appearances in the semifinals for the first time in team history.
  • Conn. College is the No. 7 seed for the first time in program history.
  • The Camels went 8-3 during the month of October to help secure a spot in the tournament.
  • Conn. College’s last appearance in the semifinals was in 2012, the same year the Camels made their last appearance in the championship match.
  • The quarterfinal match will be a replay of the regular-season finale. The Mules posted a 3-1 win on November 1. Colby holds a 2-1 advantage over Conn. College in the NESCAC Tournament series. The teams also played in the quarterfinals last season, with the Mules winning, 3-0.
No. 3 Williams (18-6, 7-3 NESCAC) vs. No. 6 Middlebury (13-11, 6-4 NESCAC)
  • Williams is the No. 3 seed for the first time since 2022. The Ephs have qualified for every NESCAC Tournament since 1999.
  • The Ephs finished the regular season with back-to-back wins, and their 18 wins are the most since 2015.
  • Williams looks to make it four straight trips to the semifinals and owns 11 NESCAC titles, the most by any conference school (last: 2014).
  • Middlebury, the defending NESCAC Champion, has also qualified for every NESCAC Tournament since 1999.
  • The Panthers are the No. 6 seed for the first time since 2022 and are looking to reach the semifinals for the 12th time in program history.
  • Middlebury posted a 3-2 win over Williams on September 27. The Ephs are 6-1 against the Panthers in the NESCAC Tournament series, which includes a five-set win in the 2023 quarterfinals.
No. 4 Tufts (19-5, 7-3 NESCAC) vs. No. 5 Bowdoin (14-9, 6-4 NESCAC)
  • Tufts has qualified for every NESCAC Tournament and is the No. 4 seed for the second time in three seasons.
  • The Jumbos won four of their last five matches to end the regular season, including a five-set victory over top-seeded Wesleyan in the regular-season finale.
  • A quarterfinal win would send Tufts to the semifinals for the 17th time in program history.
  • Bowdoin is the No. 5 seed for the first time since 2022 and is making its 18th consecutive appearance in the tournament field.
  • The Polar Bears won four of their last five matches of the regular season, three of which were 3-0 sweeps.
  • Bowdoin defeated Tufts, 3-1, on October 18, but the Jumbos own a 5-3 record against the Polar Bears in the NESCAC postseason series. The teams last met in the 2019 championship match, with Tufts earning a 3-2 victory.
2025 NESCAC Volleyball Championship
Quarterfinals - Saturday, November 8 at Higher Seeds
No. 8 Bates at No. 1 Wesleyan – 3:00 p.m.
No. 7 Connecticut College at No. 2 Colby – 1:00 p.m.
No. 6 Middlebury at No. 3 Williams – 3:00 p.m.
No. 5 Bowdoin at No. 4 Tufts – 7:00 p.m.

Semifinals - Friday, November 14 at Highest Remaining Seed
Match Times – 5:00 p.m. | 7:30 p.m.
Highest Remaining Seed vs. Lowest Remaining Seed
Remaining Quarterfinal Winners

Championship - Saturday, November 15 at Semifinal Site
Semifinal Winners – 3:00 p.m.

Tiebreakers:
* Wesleyan and Colby finished with identical records of 9-1. In head-to-head competition, Wesleyan defeated Colby to earn the No. 1 seed.
~ Williams and Tufts finished with identical records of 7-3. In head-to-head competition, Williams defeated Tufts to earn the No. 3 seed.
^ Bowdoin and Middlebury finished with identical records of 6-4. In head-to-head competition, Bowdoin defeated Middlebury to earn the No. 5 seed.
% Connecticut College and Bates finished with identical records of 3-7. In head-to-head competition, Connecticut College defeated Bates to earn the No. 7 seed.