MARION, Ind. - This weekend marked the start of the esports season. With reschedules last week and Saturday's Smash Bros. match getting rescheduled, the only team with a match this weekend was the IWU Valorant team. The match was a 12pm match against Alma College in their GLEC opener.

The match was shaping up to be fairly even. Both teams had not yet played a match this season, but came in similarly ranked. IWU picked the first map and decided on Ascent. Their offensive half was stymied early by Alma, but the Wildcats built a lot of momentum at the end of the half, bringing it back to a 5-7 Alma lead. Alma would eventually close the map off with a 13-10 win, putting the Wildcats down one map.

On map #2, Alma decided on Lotus as their pick. The Wildcats were all over the map, taking an early lead and never looking back, winning 13-5. The match came down to the deciding map, Sunset. Alma started on attack and built an early lead. However, the Wildcats yet again stormed back, this time winning several rounds in a row. However, Alma again stabilized, finishing the match with a 13-8 win on Sunset and a 2-1 win overall.

This loss was the first loss for the IWU Valorant team since November of 2023. Even despite the Wildcats dropping two maps, Junior standout Novo picked up right where he left off, putting up an impressive 66-40-10 KDA.

The Wildcats' will get a chance to make up for the loss on Monday, where they will play a 3 match NECC preseason tournament. The first match will be against Transylvania University at 8pm.



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