Blue Hens Erase Two-Set Deficit to Advance to CAA Semifinal

Friday, November 22

Hempstead, N.Y.

7 p.m.

University of Delaware

15-13,6-10CAA

#3 Hofstra University

17-12,10-6CAA

DELAWARE

Hofstra

Blue Hens Erase Two-Set Deficit to Advance to CAA Semifinal

11/22/2019 11:52:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

Delaware puts four players in double-figures to complete the reverse sweep

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – For the second consecutive weekend, the Delaware volleyball team took down Hofstra on its home floor in five sets (23-25, 20-25, 28-26, 25-22, 15-13) Friday night, this time erasing a two-set deficit to advance in the CAA Tournament to the semifinals.

The Blue Hens will take on No. 2 JMU Saturday at 5 p.m. at the Mack Physical Education Center on the campus of Hofstra University.

"Every win you can get at this point of the season is fun," said head coach Sara Matthews. "It's do-or-die, it's go time and I'm just so proud that the team stuck with it tonight after coming out a little flat and never stopped believing."

The Blue Hens put four players in double-figures with senior Maria Bellinger leading the way with a match-high 21 kills and 12 digs while freshman Ezgi Basaranlar had a career-high 56 assists and 19 digs.

Even after starting "a little flat," Delaware showed signs of life in the first and second sets and came back to tie the first set a 23 after falling behind 22-18. The Blue Hens scored six of the next seven points, but ultimately ran out of steam in the opener.

The second was a similar affair with the Blue Hens falling behind 20-13, before managing their way back into it and coming within two at 22-20.

When it was do-or-die, Delaware was at its best, wasting no time in the third with freshman Ayala Plummer hammering home the set's first point that would set the table for a back-and-forth frame.

After falling behind 14-12, senior Andie Hanus made a flurry of digs to eventually set up the kill from freshman Lani Mason, part of a 4-0 Delaware run that would earn the lead back at 15-14.

The CAA Defensive Specialist of the Year was as advertised with 29 digs and six assists on the night while Mason came off the bench to hit .412 with eight kills and eight digs.

The sides traded blows for the remainder of the set before senior Bailey Pearlman hammered one home and redshirt freshman Adelina Rivera's serve would set up an attack error by the Pride to extend the match.

It was Mason again helping the Blue and Gold grab momentum in the fourth with back-to-back kills, part of a 4-0 run that would give Delaware a 14-10 advantage. Hofstra would answer with three straight of its own, but the Blue Hens kept the three-seed at an arm's length and fought off a final flurry when the Pride scored three in-a-row to make it 24-22.

Bellinger was the answer with a big swing to send the match to a winner-take-all fifth set out of a Delaware timeout.

In an eerily similar fifth set to the one the two sides played last weekend, Delaware again took an 8-6 advantage to the opposite bench in the fifth after Mason made it happen again. Hofstra answered with back-to-back scores to force a Delaware timeout, but the freshman duo of Mason and Ayala Plummer stopped it from becoming a run with a big rejection at the net to make it 10-8.

Plummer totaled 10 kills with zero errors to hit .455 to go along with her five rejections on the night.

It was back-and-forth the remainder of the set and on the third match point a Hofstra attack error gave the Blue Hens the reverse sweep and kept the season alive.

Rivera had a career-high 17 kills with four blocks and an ace and Pearlman added 13 putaways with two aces and a block.

The match saw 38 ties and 16 lead changes and Bellinger matched her career high with four assists and had a pair of blocks while Basaranlar had a kill of her own and an ace.

Delaware's last CAA Tournament victory came in 2016 when it was also the No. 6-seed and advanced to the championship match.

For the latest on the Delaware volleyball program, follow the Blue Hens on Twitter @DelawareVB and Instagram @delawarevolleyball, and like on Facebook at Delaware Volleyball.