University of Delaware Athletics
Delaware Volleyball Sees Long Win Streak Come to an End as Blue Hens Fall to James Madison 3-0
10/12/2012 1:45:00 PM | Volleyball
The Blue Hens, who had not lost in nearly a month since a 3-0 setback at Towson back on Sept. 21, dropped a hard-fought decision by scores of 25-19, 25-18, and 25-23.
Delaware, which will close out its four-match road swing Saturday at George Mason, fell to 8-12 (3-2 CAA) while the host Dukes improved to 10-9 (3-2 CAA) by snapping a two-match losing streak.
Freshman Katie Hillman (at right) led the Blue Hens with 10 kills and nine digs while Mackenzie Olsen dished out 28 assists and added 10 digs, Alissa Alker contributed six kills and 15 digs, and Ariel Shonk added 15 digs.
James Madison got a balanced effort as Natalie Abel contributed a game-high 11 kills while Lizzy Briones added 10 kills, and Meghan Niski chipped in with nine kills. Sarah Patterson and Megan Wiechmann combined for 37 assists while Katie Daorai added a team-high 16 digs.
Delaware hit just .128 for the match, including a mark of .027 in the second game. The Dukes hit .250 for the match including a sizzling .361 in the second set when they had 15 kills in 36 attempts with just two errors.
Delaware stayed within striking distance the entire first set and pulled to within 18-15 with two straight points, but James Madison responded with a 4-1 run to extend the lead to 22-16. An attack error by Hillman ended the set with the Dukes winning 25-19.
The Blue Hens jumped out to a 5-4 lead early in the second set but the rest of the stanza belonged to James Madison. The Dukes scored five straight points to take the lead for good at 9-5 and another 3-0 run extended the margin to 17-10. The Hens rallied with three straight points, including consecutive service aces from Logan Sebastian, to pull to within 24-18, but it was too late.
The final set of the night was the closest as the score was tied seven times early on before James Madison took control at 14-9 with a 5-0 run. An Alker kill and a block by Hillman and Karina Evans pulled Delaware to within 23-22 before a service error by Delaware's Sebastian gave JMU a 24-22 lead. The Hens stayed alive on a service error by Patterson but JMU then clinched the set and the match on a block by Erb and MacKenzie Kleespies off an attack by Alker.
