Junior sets up strong start for record-breaking career

Ithaca College volleyball junior setter Wesley Slavin made history on the court. As of Oct. 11, Slavin has recorded 2,096 career assists, which currently places her in the top nine for assists all-time in IC volleyball history. Compared to the more than 400 games the others on the assist leaderboard have competed in, Slavin has only played 218 games.

Slavin joined the team as a first-year student in 2023, out of Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley, California. She was voted MVP twice and was a two-time captain during her time at the school.

Her style of play helps her be an exceptional player for the Bombers. She said she likes her sets to confuse the other team.

“I like to say that I’m a super strategic setter,” Slavin said. “I reverse the flow … where the ball is going one way, I’ll turn it the other way to kind of mess with the block.”

Slavin made her college debut as a first-year student against New York University and became a powerhouse for the Bombers. She ended the 2023 season with 564 assists, averaging 8.55 per set, placing her first among Liberty League players. During the 2024 season, she became even more dominant. She earned 925 assists across 29 games, averaging 9.95 per set, which put her 22nd in NCAA D-III.

Slavin was recognized throughout the Liberty League. In 2024, she was named All-Liberty League First Team, AVCA Region III Player of the Year, AVCA Second Team All-American and Liberty League Player of the Year, all as a sophomore.

Slavin’s teammate, junior outside hitter Gabriela Gonzalez-Abreu, described her as one of her best friends. With Gonzalez-Abreu being an outside hitter for the Bombers, many of her kills come from Slavin’s assists.

“It’s easy to get sucked into setting one person or being predictable,” Abreu said. “She splits it up. She’s very good at being creative the way she plays.”

Slavin said her position as a setter means she has to make quick decisions.

“I really trust [whichever hitter] I’m going [to] and if someone’s doing especially well, then I’ll continue to feed them and then I’ll switch it up to get [the opponent] confused,” Slavin said.

Head coach Tara Stilwell ’19, a former libero/defensive specialist for the Bombers from 2015-18, has also enjoyed time at the top of Ithaca’s statistical leaderboard. Stilwell is currently tied for all-time digs at 1,683 in 349 games. Stilwell said she gives much of the credit to Slavin for her achievement on the court.

“A lot of people who are currently in the record book from the 80s to the 2000s would play upwards of 40 to 60 matches a year,” Stilwell said. “On a good year, we play 35, so that’s where the imbalance comes from. It’s almost harder for a setter to get on the record board in the Hall of Fame …  just props to her.”

Slavin said Stilwell has had a huge impact on her career and taught her that having fun is a critical part of the game.

“She has been the most positive impact coach I’ve ever experienced,” Slavin said.

Slavin described the setter position as the quarterback position of the court. She makes important decisions for the entire team and calls the plays. The setter decides where the ball is going to go on offense. Without a good assist, a hitter can’t get a kill, which earns the team points. Setters almost always get the second ball, the bridge between the defense and the offense. Slavin said her positive chemistry with her teammates, especially her hitters, has shaped her as a player.

“It’s a stressful role, but I feel as though I’ve come into it well and approached it well, and it’s been great,” Slavin said. “[My team] made my job incredibly easy.”

Slavin is currently in the midst of her junior-year season and is already one of the Bombers’ most influential players in program history. Stilwell said Slavin is an essential part of the team.

“She just runs the court so well. It’s hard to find a setter that can get her hands on that much and put us in a really good place,” Stilwell said. “And that makes a world of difference for our hitters.”