University of Delaware Athletics
Delaware Volleyball Continues to Roll as Blue Hens Sweep William & Mary 3-0 for Fifth Straight Victory
10/7/2012 1:20:00 PM | Volleyball
Delaware (8-11, 3-1 CAA), which overcame a 2-0 deficit to down UNCW 3-2 on Friday night and give head coach Bonnie Kenny her 200th career win at UD, had an easier time of it on this day as the Blue Hens swept the Tribe by scores of 25-17, 25-14, and 25-13. The Hens have now posted sweeps in four of the fives matches during the win streak.
The Blue Hens enjoyed a season-high .418 hitting performance as Delaware recorded 49 kills in 98 attempts and committed just eight errors. The effort surpassed the previous best of .349 against Morgan State last week. Delaware hit .351 in the first set (17-4-37), .429 in the second set (14-2-28), and .485 (18-2-33) in the final frame.
William & Mary, which lost its fourth straight match, fell to 10-9 (2-3 CAA). The Tribe hit just .125 for the match, including a .091 mark in the final set as they posted six kills with three errors in 33 attempts.
The Hens have now defeated the Tribe six straight times since 2008 with each of the last four coming by shutout. The win moved two-time defending CAA champion Delaware into sole possession of third place in the CAA standings behind league leaders Northeastern (5-0) and Towson (4-0).
Three Blue Hens reached double figures in kills as senior Alissa Alker (at right) knocked down 13 hits and added nine digs, freshman Katie Hillman registered 11 kills with no errors in 28 attempts to go with six digs, and junior Katie Hank hit .556 with 10 kills and no errors in 18 attempts while adding four digs.
Alker reached double figures in kills for the sixth time in the last eight matches. Chandler Bryant hit .625 as she collected six kills with just one error in eight attempts.
Freshman Mackenzie Olsen added 42 assists for the Hens while freshman Ariel Shonk contributed a team-high 21 digs for Delaware.
William & Mary was led by Paulette Grand Pre's six kills while Molly Krull added 14 assists and six digs and Devin Andrews-Lyssy recorded a team-high 10 digs.
Delaware was rarely threatened throughout the match. Delaware broke a 4-4 tie by scoring four straight points in the first set on the way to a 25-17 win and then led the entire way in the second set, scoring the final four points for a 25-14 victory.
In the final game, the Hens used an 8-2 run to open up a big lead and then scored the final five points of the set to capture the 25-13 win.
Delaware will look to extend its winning ways next weekend as the Hens head south again with matches at James Madison on Oct. 12 and at George Mason on Oct. 13.
