University of Delaware Athletics
Blue Hens Roll To 3-0 Victory Over Villanova in Final Non-Conference Match of Season
10/17/2012 1:52:00 PM | Volleyball
Delaware, which improved to 10-12 on the season and won for the seventh time in its last eight matches, prevailed by set scores of 25-16, 25-11 and 25-22. The Wildcats fell to 10-12 on the year as well.
Blue Hen freshman Katie Hillman (at left), the current Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Week, contributed eight kills against just one attack error to hit .241 for the match, while senior Alissa Alker had seven kills and 10 digs on the night. Rookie Mackenzie Olsen dished out a match-high 28 assists during the win, while classmate Ariel Shonk led the UD defensive effort with 26 digs. The Blue Hens hit .176 for the match, while their 10 team blocks contributed to the Wildcats hitting just .008 on the night.
Brittany Rembert led Villanova with eight kills, while Lauren Carpenter and CeCe Twitty added five apiece. Mariah Henley posted a team-high 23 digs for the Wildcats, while Allie DiBernardo and Emma Pettit combined for 24 assists.
The Blue Hens took control early in the first set, exploding for the first eight points of the match. Delaware eventually extended the margin to 14-4, forcing the Wildcats' second timeout of the set. Villanova would rally with four straight points to climb within 16-12, but the Blue Hens immediately answered with a 4-0 run of their own. The Wildcats would not get closer than seven points the rest of the set, with the Blue Hens clinching the set on an attack error by Villanova's Colleen Hickey.
UD again wasted little time in forging ahead during the second frame, jumping out to a 6-1 advantage following a service ace by Alker. Later in the set the Blue Hens scored seven of eight points to extend the margin to 18-5 on a Chandler Bryant kill. The lead remained in double digits the rest of the way, while another Alker ace put the set away.
Villanova took an early 7-3 lead in the third set, but Delaware would answer back and eventually knot the set at 10-10 on a block by Lawrence and Hillman. Delaware then scored the next two points, and would not trail the rest of the way. The lead gradually increased to 20-14, before five consecutive Villanova points brought the Wildcats within one. But the Blue Hens answered right back with three straight points of their own, and after the Wildcats pulled within 24-22, Alker delivered an emphatic kill to end the match.
Delaware, which sits in third place in the CAA with a 4-2 league mark, returns to conference play on Friday when the Blue Hens host league co-leader Northeastern in a crucial match beginning at 7 p.m. at the Bob Carpenter Center.
