Chandler McGrath has 42 kills in her past two matches, after leading Bates to a 3-1 victory over Wesleyan on Sept. 18, 2015. (Josh Kuckens/Bates College) 

LEWISTON, Maine -- Junior Chandler McGrath had 20 kills and first-year Claire Naughton added 10 as the Bates College volleyball team defeated Wesleyan University 3-1 (17-25, 25-19, 25-14, 25-21) on Friday night in both teams' NESCAC opener. 

Bates (2-4, 1-0 NESCAC) displayed superior backline defense and service reception, led by senior Laryssa Schepel (Flemington, N.J.; 26 digs), allowing the Bobcat attack to catch fire. After hitting at a .107 rate in the first set, .179 in the second and .103 in the third, the Bobcats attacked at a .417 percentage in the deciding set. Sophomore captain Jacqueline Forney (Bloomington, Ind.) passed out 32 assists and junior Hannah Tardie (Orange, Calif.) added 15.

While other hitters such as sophomore Lisa Slivken (New York, N.Y.; 9 kills) and senior Mary Deneen (Windsor, Conn.; 7 kills) got hot at various points, McGrath (Seal Beach, Calif.) was Bates' go-to option when points meant the most. With the score 19-18 in Wesleyan's favor, McGrath racked up five kills as Bates finished the set and the match with a 6-2 run. It was McGrath's third career match with 20-plus kills and her second in a row, following her career-high of 22 against Southern Maine on Tuesday.

Bates played with outstanding offensive efficiency, with Naughton (Darien, Conn.) hitting at a .389 rate and Deneen at a .600 percentage.

Wesleyan (3-2, 0-1 NESCAC) received a team-high 11 kills from Sarah Swenson and nine from Madeleine Lundberg, who also added eight digs. Rachel Savage had a team-high nine digs while Naja Lewis had four blocks. Heidi Westerman passed out 31 assists.

The result was Bates' first conference victory since Oct. 19, 2013, a 3-2 win over Wesleyan.

Bates hosts Trinity College on Saturday at 2pm in another NESCAC match. Wesleyan plays at NESCAC foe Colby at the same time.