University of Delaware Athletics
Blue Hen Volleyball Concludes Long Road Stretch This Weekend at CAA Foes Northeastern and Hofstra
10/2/2014 3:11:00 PM | Volleyball
NEWARK, Del. -- The University of Delaware volleyball team will wrap up a stretch of seven consecutive road matches this weekend when the Blue Hens head north to face Northeastern and Hofstra.
UD will take on Northeastern Friday at 7 p.m. at the Cabot Center, before Sunday's 1 p.m. match against Hofstra at the David S. Mack Physical Education Center. Live video will be available for both contests.
Delaware is looking to get back into the win column after dropping its last six matches since a 3-0 win over George Mason on Sept. 13. The Blue Hens are 7-10 overall and 0-2 in the Colonial Athletic Association following league defeats at Towson and College of Charleston.
Northeastern enters the weekend with an 8-7 overall record, and the Huskies have split their first two conference matches. Hofstra is 14-2 overall and 2-0 in the CAA heading into its home match on Friday vs. Towson.
The Blue Hen attack is led by junior Katie Hillman who leads the team with 174 kills and 2.85 kills per set, while sophomore Autumn Jenkins ranks second on the squad with 164 kills for a 2.69 average. Junior Chandler Bryant is hitting a team-best .260 on the season, while sophomore Alexa Swann is second with a .251 attack percentage.
UD sophomore Erin Layne ranks second in the CAA with 5.92 assists per set, while classmate Taylor Hollingsworth is second in the league by averaging 4.93 digs per set.
The Huskies kicked off league play with a five-set loss at UNCW before responding with a straight set win at Elon. Brigitte Burcescu is averaging 3.55 kills to pace Northeastern, while Caterina Rosander ranks third in the conference with a .336 hitting percentage. Natalie Skiba paces the Huskies' backline as she ranks fifth in the nation with 5.80 digs per set.
Hofstra has won five straight matches, including conference road victories last weekend at Elon and UNCW. Outside hitter Kelsie Wills recently became the program's all-time leader in kills, and currently leads the CAA with a 4.33 kills average. Hannah Klemm is handing out a league-high 11.15 assists per set for the Pride, while Nuria Lopes de Silva has posted 66 blocks.
Delaware leads the all-time series with Northeastern, 25-18, although the Huskies swept both meetings last year. Hofstra has gone 45-18 against the Blue Hens, and the teams have split two matchups in each of the past three seasons.
