University of Delaware Athletics
Blue Hen Volleyball Extends Win Streak To Three With 3-0 Win Over Delaware State in Route 1 Rivalry
10/2/2012 6:42:00 PM | Volleyball
The Blue Hens won by set scores of 25-11, 25-23 and 25-13 as they improved to 6-11 on the season. Delaware, which also posted 3-0 wins over Morgan State and Georgia State last week, improved to 8-0 all-time against the Hornets. Delaware State dropped to 4-10 on the campaign.
Blue Hen senior middle hitter Chelsea Lawrence (at right) paced Delaware with eight kills against just one attack error to hit .538 for the match, and also set her career-high with nine blocks on the evening. Freshman outside hitter Katie Hillman (at left) posted a team-best 11 kills and hit .250 on the night, while senior outside hitter Alissa Alker contributed seven kills, 11 digs and three blocks. The Blue Hens held a commanding 10-3 advantage in blocks over the Hornets.
Freshman Ariel Shonk, the current CAA Defensive Player of the Week, led Delaware with 13 digs, while classmate Mackenzie Olsen handed out 29 assists for the match.
Jessica Russell-Croucher led Delaware State with 11 kills, while Jasmine Jackson recorded a team-best 11 digs. Christobel Fakaosi dished out 22 assists while ranking second on the squad with eight digs.
After the first set was tied at 4-4 early on, the Blue Hens took control by winning 10 of the next 11 points. Delaware State pulled within 16-9, but Delaware proceeded to run off eight consecutive points to take a commanding 24-9 lead. The Hornets won the next two points, before a service error by the Hornets' Edarkis Branch gave the Blue Hens the opening set.
The second set was tight through the first 22 points, as neither team led by more than two as the teams were knotted at 11-11. The Hornets then ran off five consecutive points to take the lead, but the Blue Hens immediately countered with seven straight points of their own to go up 18-16 on an Alker kill. After Delaware State closed within 19-18 Delaware scored three straight points but the Hornets would not go away, pulling within 24-23 on a Brooke Redmon kill. However Branch committed another service error, as the Blue Hens took a two-set lead.
After its narrow second set win, the Blue Hens jumped out to an early lead in the third set and never trailed. Delaware held a slim 6-5 advantage before scoring four straight points, and after the Hornets closed to within 13-9, the Blue Hens put the set away with a 10-point run. It was a 24-13 game with Olsen fed Hillman for a kill to end the match, giving the Delaware its third consecutive three-set victory.
The Blue Hens, who are 1-1 in Colonial Athletic Association play, return to league action on Friday for a 7 p.m. match at UNCW.
