University of Delaware Athletics
University of Delaware
8-5
Sacred Heart
5-6
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sacred Heart | 17 | 25 | 25 | 19 | 9 | 2 |
| DELAWARE | 25 | 16 | 22 | 25 | 15 | 3 |
Blue Hens Claim UD Invitational Title With Five-Set Victory Over Sacred Heart
9/19/2015 3:33:00 PM | Volleyball
• Loyola-Morgan State Box
• Sacred Heart-Delaware Box
NEWARK, Del. -- The Blue Hen volleyball team rallied from a set down to win the final two games as UD posted a five-set victory over Sacred Heart on Saturday afternoon at the Bob Carpenter Center to capture the University of Delaware Invitational title.
UD claimed the victory by set scores of 25-17, 16-25, 22-25, 25-19, 15-9 to win its fourth consecutive match and improve to 8-5 on the season.
Blue Hen senior Katie Hillman tied her season-high with 17 kills against just one attack error, as she hit .372 for the match while also setting a season-high with 15 digs. Hillman eclipsed the 1,100-kills mark and moved into 13th place in UD history with 1,106 career kills. Autumn Jenkins recorded her fifth double-double of the year with 10 kills and 14 digs, while freshman Brooke Robertson tied her season-high with eight kills.
Julia Anderson handed out 41 assists for Delaware, while Ariel Shonk paced the Blue Hens with 25 digs and Alexa Swann contributed eight blocks.
Chandler Bryant, who added five kills and five blocks, was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, while Anderson and Jenkins also represented the Blue Hens on the All-Tournament Team.
Sarah Krufka and Bruna Bon each slammed 12 kills for Sacred Heart, which dropped to 5-6 on the season.
After taking the opening set the Blue Hens dropped the next two, but rallied for a six-point win in the fourth to force the deciding set. Delaware quickly took control by taking the first three points of the final stanza, and after a Pioneers point, the Blue Hens reeled off four straight including a pair of aces from Jenkins to increase the margin to 7-1. After the Pioneers closed within 11-8 UD won three consecutive points, before putting it away on a Jenkins kill.
Bonnie KennyThe match concludes the non-conference schedule for the Blue Hens, who will now play 16 consecutive Colonial Athletic Association matches. UD opens league play on Friday with a 7 p.m. home match against James Madison at the Carpenter Sports Building.
Match Notes:
• The All-Tournament Team included Bryant (MVP), Anderson (UD), Jenkins (UD), Sarah Krufka (SHU), Ana Gonzalez (SHU), Minja Rankov (MSU), and Molly Cichosz (Loyola)
• Delaware has won four straight matches for the first time since a four-match streak from Oct. 10-18, 2014
• Five of UD's 13 matches this year have gone five sets
• Hillman recorded her first double-double of the season and the 18th of her career
• Swann has posted 25 blocks over the previous four matches
• Shonk went over 20 digs for the sixth time this season and surpassed the 1,600 mark for her career
• Anderson eclipsed the 40-assists mark for the fifth time this year
• UD improved to 3-1 vs. Sacred Heart and avenged a three-set loss last year to the Pioneers
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Kevin Tritt at: ktritt@udel.edu (email) / 302-831-8715 (office) / 302-383-5005 (cell)
