Delaware Concludes Wolfpack Invitational With Four-Set Loss To High Point

Saturday, September 10

Raleigh, N.C.

2:00 PM

University of Delaware

4-5

High Point

7-3

DELAWARE

High Point

Delaware Concludes Wolfpack Invitational With Four-Set Loss To High Point

9/10/2016 5:04:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

By: Delaware Athletics

• Boxscore
• Boxscore (pdf)

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The University of Delaware volleyball team wrapped up action at the NC State Wolfpack Invitational with a four-set loss to High Point on Saturday afternoon at Reynolds Coliseum.

The Panthers, who improved to 7-3 on the season, captured the match by set scores of 28-26, 23-25, 25-17, 25-20. The Blue Hens dropped their fifth consecutive match while falling to 4-5 on the year.

UD senior outside hitter Autumn Jenkins blasted a team-leading 12 kills against just one attack error as she hit .333 for the contest, while adding seven digs and three blocks. Freshman Maria Bellinger contributed eight kills and classmate Bailey Pearlman chipped in seven for the Blue Hens, while Liz Tobey handed out a career-high tying 17 assists.

Taylor Hollingsworth again led the defensive effort with 13 digs, while Kori Rasmussen added a career-best 12 of her own. Alexa Swann tied her career-high with nine blocks and Tobey had seven for Delaware, which held a 14-8 block advantage.

Haley Barnes notched a double-double for High Point with 17 kills and 12 digs, while Molly Livingston belted 12 kills on the afternoon.

The Blue Hens won the first eight points of the match and led by as many as 11 twice in the opening set, the second time at 22-11 following a Swann kill, before the Panthers used an 11-point spurt to pull even. UD recovered to earn a pair of set points, but High Point used three straight kills to take the opening set 28-26. The second set featured eight ties and four lead changes, with the Blue Hens rallying from a 22-20 deficit by winning five of the next six points including the game-winner on a Lauren Talley kill, to even the match at a set apiece.

However High Point answered by jumping out to an early 7-2 lead in the third stanza and leading the rest of the way, going up as many as nine points before an Abby Broadstreet kill put the set away. The Panthers again gained control in the fourth set with an 8-3 run, although a four-point UD spurt brought the Blue Hens within 15-14. However Delaware could never draw even, and High Point eventually closed the match with kills from Katie Tylman and Livingston the seal the victory.

After opening the season with three straight road tournaments, the Blue Hens will play their home opener on Friday at 7 p.m. against Miami (Fla.) in the Bob Carpenter Center on the first day of the Delaware Invitational.

"This weekend we ran into some good, physical competition, and at times we responded better than we did a week ago," UD head coach Bonnie Kenny said. "We have to be a team that can stay in system to hit at a better efficiency. I liked our fight today against High Point - a big, physical team. We still had entirely too many errors, and errors in critical situations. We will get back to work on Monday."

Match Notes:
• Hollingsworth, who led the team in digs during all three matches, was UD's representative on the All-Tournament Team
• Jenkins surpassed the 700-kills mark for her career
• The Blue Hens' 14 blocks are a season-high
• Tobey did not have a block in her career before posting seven vs. High Point
• Delaware and High Point met for the first time in school history

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Kevin Tritt at: ktritt@udel.edu (email) / 302-831-8715 (office) / 302-383-5005 (cell)