University of Delaware Athletics
Delaware Closes Out Regular Season This Weekend at James Madison, William & Mary
11/10/2016 9:28:00 AM | Volleyball
• JMU Stats
• W&M Video
• W&M Stats
NEWARK, Del. -- The University of Delaware volleyball team closes out its regular season this weekend when the Blue Hens head south to take on James Madison and William & Mary.
Live stats will be available for Friday's 7 p.m. match against the Dukes at Sinclair Gymnasium, while live stats and video will be available for Saturday's 7:30 p.m. contest with the Tribe at Kaplan Arena.
Delaware has won seven of its last eight matches including five in a row, improving to 13-14 overall and 7-7 in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Blue Hens currently sit in sixth place in the league standings and have already qualified for the CAA Tournament, which will be held Nov. 18-20 in Wilmington, N.C.
Delaware concluded its home schedule last weekend with a pair of impressive victories over league-leading Northeastern and second place Hofstra, continuing its surge during the season half of the season. Freshman outside hitter Maria Bellinger was named the CAA Rookie of the Week on Monday after slamming a match-high 19 kills vs. the Huskies before again leading all players with 18 kills against Hofstra, as she posted a pair of double-doubles on the weekend.
Alexa Swann finished with a career-high 11 blocks during the Hofstra win, and currently ranks fourth in the CAA with a 1.09 blocks average and sixth with a .301 attack percentage. Taylor Hollingsworth surpassed the 1,500-digs mark over the weekend, while fellow senior Erin Layne handed out 88 assists during the two victories.
James Madison carries a 17-10 overall record into Friday's match, and is tied for third place in the conference standings with a 9-5 mark. The Dukes are the only CAA team hotter than the Blue Hens, as JMU has won six consecutive matches since a five-set loss to Delaware on Oct. 16. Janey Goodman leads the conference with 4.75 kills per set and ranks fourth with a .322 hitting percentage, while Taylor Austin is averaging a league-best 6.05 digs per set and Taylor Gail leads the CAA with 119 blocks.
William & Mary enters its home match on Friday against Towson with an 8-19 overall mark, including 2-12 in the conference. The Tribe has dropped eight consecutive matches, beginning with a three-set defeat to the Blue Hens in Newark on Oct. 14. Sydney Biniak leads William & Mary with 3.03 kills per set, while Autumn Brenner ranks fourth in the league with a 9.37 assists average and Sara Zumbach is fifth by posting 4.51 digs per set.
