University of Delaware Athletics
Delaware Volleyball Opens 2015 Season This Weekend at UCF Invitational
8/27/2015 3:34:00 PM | Volleyball
• UD-SIU Live Stats
• UD-UCF Live Stats
• UD-UCF Video ($)
• UD-UNC Live Stats
ORLANDO, Fla. -- The University of Delaware volleyball team opens its 2015 season this weekend as the Blue Hens will play three matches at the Holiday Inn Orlando East UCF Area Invitational in The Venue at UCF.
Delaware kicks off the campaign on Friday against Southern Illinois at 10 a.m., before taking on the host Knights at 7 p.m. that night. The Blue Hens conclude play at the tournament by facing Northern Colorado on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. Live stats will be available for all three matches, while Delaware's match against UCF will be livestreamed (subscription required).
Bonnie KennySenior outside hitter Katie Hillman will lead the Blue Hens after earning second team All-CAA honors a year ago when she started all 32 matches and ranked sixth in the conference with 3.21 kills per set. Hillman, a preseason all-league selection this year, also ranked third on the Blue Hens with a .224 attack percentage and was fifth with 57 blocks a season ago.
Fellow senior Chandler Bryant also returns to the UD frontline after pacing the squad and ranking eighth in the CAA with a .281 attack percentage in 2014, while junior Alexa Swann added 2.13 kills per set along with a team-leading 131 blocks.
Junior Autumn Jenkins was second on the squad with 309 kills from her outside hitter position, while classmate Julia Anderson ranked third in the conference by handing out 7.68 assists per set. Junior libero Taylor Hollingsworth also returns after ranking third in the CAA and 39th in Division I with a 5.00 digs average.
Southern Illinois finished last season with a 16-15 record, including a 10-9 mark in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Salukis are picked fourth in the MVC preseason poll and are led by Taylor Pippen, who led the conference and ranked 11th in the nation with a .410 hitting percentage last season.
UCF went 25-8 last season, won the American Athletic Conference title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, and the Knights are the preseason favorites again in the AAC. Seniors Dana Faught and Abbie Fleener return to lead the Knights, along with junior Kia Bright.
Northern Colorado also advanced to the NCAA Tournament a year ago after compiling a 22-11 record, and returns All-Big Sky selections Kendra Cunningham and Ashley Guthrie. Delaware fell to UCF and Northern Colorado in 1979 during its only previous meetings with the two schools, while the Blue Hens have never faced UCF.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Kevin Tritt at: ktritt@udel.edu (email) / 302-831-8715 (office) / 302-383-5005 (cell)
