University of Delaware Athletics
Delaware Volleyball Pulls Out Anther Five-Set Thriller; Defeats Hofstra 3-2 To Extend Win Streak To Four
10/20/2012 2:02:00 PM | Volleyball
Delaware, which improved to 12-12 overall and 6-2 in the Colonial Athletic Association, prevailed by set scores were 25-23, 25-22, 23-25, 18-25, and 15-11. The Blue Hens, who have now won five of their six five-set matches this season, have taken four straight and nine of their last 10 matches overall. Hofstra, which has dropped eight of its last nine meetings with Delaware, fell to 14-13 overall and 2-6 in conference play.
Junior outside hitter Katie Hank (at right) paced the Blue Hen attack with a team-high 16 kills, while senior Alissa Alker contributed a double-double with 15 kills and 10 assists to go with four blocks. Fellow senior Chelsea Lawrence recorded 12 kills and hit a team-best .290 for the night, while freshman setter Mackenzie Olsen also had a double-double with 47 assists and 17 digs. Freshman Ariel Shonk, the CAA leader in digs, once again led the Blue Hen backline with 33 digs, while classmate Tanya Krapf chipped in with 14 of her own.
Kelsie Wills, who leads the CAA in kills this season, led all players with 18 kills during the contest, while Nikki Kinnier contributed 17 while hitting .325 ont the night. Kylee Maneja led Hofstra with 33 digs, Corrina Delgadillo added 20 digs, and Catalina Charry dished out 46 assists.
After Delaware took the first two sets, Hofstra rallied to take the next two, and the Pride carried that momentum into the fifth game by scoring four straight points to take an 8-6 advantage. However Delaware would respond, scoring four consecutive points of its own to regain the lead at 10-8. A kill by Hofstra's Adama Aja brought the Pride within one but Delaware then scored three straight points, the final two coming on blocks from Alker and Chandler Bryant, to extend the margin to 13-9. The Pride took two of the next three points to get within 14-11, but Olsen set up Alker for a kill to give the Blue Hens the match.
Delaware scored five of the first six points of the contest, and led the entire first set. The Blue Hens led by as many as seven points at 21-14 but Hofstra would rally, pulling within 23-22 on a kill by Wills. However Alker answered with a kill for Delaware, and after a Hofstra point, the Blue Hens took the opening set on an attack error by Wills.
Neither team led by more than one point early in the second stanza, until Delaware won three consecutive points to take a 10-7 lead on a kill by Hank. However Hofstra would counter with four straight points to go ahead, and later a 6-2 Pride run would give the visitors a 19-15 advantage.
Hofstra still led 20-17 later in the set, but Delaware took six of the next seven points to grab a 23-21 advantage on an Alker kill. Jovana Barisic answered for the Pride, but Alker added another kill and Hank delivered a service ace to give the Blue Hens the set.
The Blue Hens looked to take control during the third set, breaking away from a 7-7 tie for take a 13-8 margin on a kill by Jill Meyers. Delaware carried its lead throughout the majority of the set, and consecutive kills by Meyers followed by one from Alker increased the UD lead to 21-15. But Hofstra would answer with seven straight points, while a service error by Shonk eventually gave the Pride the third set.
Hofstra led the entire way in the fourth set, jumping out to an 8-3 lead and holding at least a three-point margin the rest of the stanza. The Pride then grabbed the lead in the fifth set, before the Blue Hens stromed back to win.
Delaware closes out its four-match homestand on Friday when the Blue Hens welcome league-leading Towson to the Bob Carpenter Center for a crucial 7 p.m. match with the Tigers.
