University of Delaware Athletics
University of Delaware
6-5
Morgan State
2-10
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morgan State | 23 | 13 | 20 | 0 |
| DELAWARE | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Blue Hens Post Three-Set Victories Over Morgan State, Loyola (Md.) at UD Invitational
9/18/2015 3:14:00 PM | Volleyball
• SHU-Loyola Box
• MSU-UD Box
• SHU-MSU Box
• Loyola-UD Box
NEWARK, Del. -- Led by the strong play of juniors Autumn Jenkins and Alexa Swann, the Blue Hen volleyball team picked up a pair of three-set victories over Morgan State and Loyola (Md.) during Friday's home-opening matches at the University of Delaware Invitational.
Delaware, which has won three straight matches while improving to 7-5 on the year, defeated Morgan State 25-23, 25-13, 25-20 in the afternoon before posting a 25-14, 25-7, 25-18 verdict over the Greyhounds in the evening match.
Jenkins recorded 10 kills and 11 digs against the Bears (2-10) to record her fourth double-double of the season, while Swann (right) also had 10 kills while leading all players with five blocks. Lauren Talley set a career-high with eight kills and committed just one error as she hit .412 for the match, while Julia Anderson dished out 29 assists. Ariel Shonk paced the defensive effort with 20 digs, while Taylor Hollingsworth contributed 11of her own.
The Blue Hens trailed for a majority of the first set, but eventually used a three-point run to take a 23-21 advantage. Morgan State quickly tied the set at 23-23, before a pair of attack errors by the Bears gave the opening frame to Delaware.
UD dropped the first three points of the second frame, but after the Blue Hens knotted the set at 7-7, Delaware captured three straight points and led the rest of the way. The Blue Hens won 14 of 17 points during one stretch, and were not threatened during the second half of the stanza. UD never trailed in the third set and eventually went ahead by six, before a kill by Jenkins sealed the victory.
Jenkins again led the way vs. the Greyhounds (5-8) with 11 kills and nine digs, while Swann contributed 10 kills and did not commit an attack error. Talley (left) set her career-high for the second time on the day with nine kills, while Chandler Bryant chipped in seven and Anderson added 33 assists. Hollingsworth recorded a match-best 12 digs, while Anderson and Shonk added eight apiece.
UD raced out to a 15-7 lead in the first set and cruised to the victory, before closing the second frame with a dominant 17-3 run to go in front by two sets. The Blue Hens broke a 5-5 deadlock early in the third by taking four straight points, and did not trail from there.
Bonnie KennyThe Blue Hens conclude play at the UD Invitational on Saturday with the 12 noon championship match against Sacred Heart, which also posted victories over Loyola (Md.) and Morgan State on Friday. The Greyhounds and Bears will open the day with a 10 a.m. match at the Bob Carpenter Center.
Match Notes:
• The Blue Hens have won five of their last six matches
• UD improved to 7-0 all-time vs. Morgan State and 35-3 vs. Loyola (Md.)
• Delaware's second set win over Loyola was the Blue Hens' largest since 25-5 over Morgan State on Sept. 25, 2012
• The Blue Hens only trailed 1-0 in the first and second sets during the entire match vs. the Greyhounds
• Shonk moved into sixth place in UD history with 1,581 career digs
• Delaware's home opener was its latest since the 2003 season
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Kevin Tritt at: ktritt@udel.edu (email) / 302-831-8715 (office) / 302-383-5005 (cell)
