University of Delaware Athletics
University of Delaware
12-14, 6-7CAA
Northeastern
20-8, 10-4CAA
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NORTHEASTERN | 22 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 13 | 2 |
| DELAWARE | 25 | 21 | 20 | 25 | 15 | 3 |
Delaware Knocks Off League-Leading Northeastern with 3-2 Comeback Victory
11/4/2016 8:41:00 PM | Volleyball
• Boxscore
• Boxscore (pdf)
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NEWARK, Del. -- The University of Delaware volleyball squad posted one of its biggest and most thrilling victories of the season Friday night as the Blue Hens forced a fifth game and scored the final five points in that set to post the 3-2 (25-22, 21-25, 20-25, 25-23, 15-13) victory over league-leading Northeastern at the Bob Carpenter Center.
Delaware (12-14, 6-7 Colonial Athletic Association) won its fourth straight match and captured its sixth victory in the last seven outings while Northeastern (20-8, 10-4 CAA) had a two-match win streak snapped.
Blue Hen freshman Maria Bellinger (left) led the way with a team-best 19 kills to go with a career high-tying 14 digs for Delaware, which remained in sole possession of sixth place in the league standings. Alexa Swann added 14 kills and hit a team-high .344 on the night, while Autumn Jenkins (below right) posted her 15th double-double of the year with 12 kills and a career-high 24 digs.
Erin Layne (below left) dished out 45 assists to go with a career-best 20 digs for the Blue Hens, while Taylor Hollingsworth added 22 digs and Kori Rasmussen contributed 12 of her own.
Northeastern, which had defeated Delaware 3-0 back on Oct. 10 in Boston, got 16 kills each from Jamie Bredahl and Hannah Fry. Kristen Walding handed out 62 assists for the Huskies, while Gabrielle Eyl led all players with 34 digs.
Delaware led for a majority of the first set, and after Northeastern rallied to take a 21-20 lead, the Blue Hens closed the game by winning five of the final six points to take the early lead. However the Huskies broke a 13-13 deadlock in the second frame with a 6-1 spurt and led the rest of the way to even the match at a set apiece.
The third set was tied 7-7 in the early going, but Northeastern won 15 of the next 22 points to go up 22-14, and after the Blue Hens closed within four, Fry's kill gave the Huskies the set. An extremely tight fourth set featured 12 ties, and after Northeastern won two points to draw even at 23-23, Daria Robinson and Bellinger each delivered kills to give Delaware the game and force the deciding fifth frame.
Delaware appeared to be in control of the final set when Robinson and Jenkins combined on a block to make it 10-7, but the Huskies quickly answered with six consecutive points to take a 13-10 advantage. However the Blue Hens responded with three straight points to pull even, and following a Northeastern timeout, Layne and Swann combined on a block before Lauren Talley served an ace to give Delaware the thrilling victory.
“Wow, that was an exciting match,” Swann said. “I think our team came together at the perfect time during the match, we got in the swing of things at just the right point. It was a really fun game to be a part of; this team is really coming together at the right time of the season so we're all very excited to try and keep it going.”
Delaware closes out its home schedule on Sunday when the Blue Hens host Hofstra at 1 p.m. The UD senior class of Talley, Jenkins, Layne, Swann, Hollingsworth and Julia Anderson will be honored prior to playing their final match in Newark.
Match Notes:
• Jenkins posted her fourth consecutive double-double and surpassed the 900-kills mark for her career
• Layne has handed out at least 45 assists in four of the last six matches
• Bellinger's 19 kills are her second most of the year
• Both teams recorded 10 blocks on the night
• Delaware and Northeastern split the season series for the second straight year
• Five of the Blue Hens' last six home matches have gone to five sets
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Kevin Tritt at: ktritt@udel.edu (email) / 302-831-8715 (office) / 302-383-5005 (cell)
