University of Delaware Athletics
Blue Hen Volleyball Heads South For Final Road Matches of the Year at James Madison, William & Mary
11/6/2014 3:45:00 PM | Volleyball
HARRISONBURG, Va. -- The University of Delaware volleyball team will play its final road matches of the 2014 regular season this weekend when the Blue Hens head south to take on James Madison and William & Mary.
Delaware will face the Dukes Friday at 7 p.m. in Sinclair Gymnasium, before taking on the Tribe Saturday at 7 p.m. in Kaplan Arena. Live stats will be available for both matches, while Saturday's contest vs. the Tribe will be livestreamed.
The Blue Hens enter the weekend with a 13-14 overall record, including an even 6-6 mark in the Colonial Athletic Association. Delaware is currently tied for fifth place in the league and needs just one more win to clinch a berth in the six-team CAA Tournament, which will be held on the campus of the regular season champion on Nov. 21-23.
Delaware is coming off an impressive three-set victory over Northeastern on Sunday, as sophomore Alexa Swann tied her career-high by posting 16 kills. Swann hit .464 for the match, while junior Katie Hillman contributed 10 kills against just one attack error. Julia Anderson handed out 35 assists during the afternoon, while Taylor Hollingsworth made 19 digs.
Hollingsworth continues to rank second in the CAA and is 35th in Division I by averaging 5.02 digs per set, while Anderson is fourth in the conference with a 6.91 assists average. Hillman ranks eighth in the league with 3.07 kills per set and is second with 32 service aces.
William & Mary is just 6-21 this season, and the Tribe has won only two of its 12 conference matches. Dessi Koleva is averaging 2.76 kills per set for William & Mary, while Mallory Brickerd adds 2.52 kills per set.
James Madison enters Friday's match with a 14-11 overall record, while the Dukes are tied with the Blue Hens for fifth place with a 6-6 CAA mark. JMU snapped a two-matching losing skid by posting a five-set victory at Elon last Saturday. Janey Goodman leads the Dukes and ranks third in the conference by averaging 3.43 kills per set, while Sarah Patterson is second in the CAA with a 9.65 assists average.
Delaware defeated both teams earlier this season in Newark, posting a three-set victory over the Tribe on Oct. 10 at the Carpenter Sports Building and a five-set triumph over the Dukes on Oct. 12 at the Bob Carpenter Center.
