Volleyball's Comeback Bid Falls Short Against Kent State

Friday, September 10

Lawrence, Kan.

6 PM

University of Delaware

5-3,0-0CAA

Kent State

4-5,0-0MAC

Delaware

Kent St.

Amelia Painter digs the ball against NJIT

Photo by: Mark Campbell

Volleyball's Comeback Bid Falls Short Against Kent State

9/10/2021 8:39:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Despite rallying back to force a fifth set after being down 2-0, the Delaware volleyball fell to Kent State, 3-2, on Friday night.

The Blue Hens (5-3) dropped the opening two sets to the Golden Flashes (4-5), but fought right back into the match and won the next two. However, Kent State used a large run in the fifth set to grab the lead and capture the win.

Four Blue Hens recorded double-digit kills in the match led by Lani Mason, who tallied 14 to go along with nine digs and a pair of blocks. Kirah Johnson was the most efficient Blue Hen on the night, racking up 12 kills and hitting .500.

Lauryn Richardson and Savannah Seemans combined for 20 kills after notching 10 apiece. Seemans posted her first double-double of the year, adding 12 digs to her stat line. The second-year outside hitter also logged four blocks and four aces.

Lily Rogers posted a double-double performance, dishing out a team-best 24 assists to pair with 11 digs. Both were season-best totals for the sophomore setter. Ezgi Basaranlar chipped in with 20 helpers, while Katie Turner had a team-high 13 digs.

SET ONE
Neither side was able to gain much separation in the opening set, but Kent State consistently managed to hold a slight edge. A kill by Richardson late in the set pulled the Blue Hens within one, 21-20, but the Golden Flashes outscored Delaware 4-2 to secure the 25-22 win.

SET TWO
The Blue Hens had an efficient start to the second set and grabbed a 17-11 advantage. Kent State got into a rhythm though and scored six unanswered to even the score. After both sides traded points, the Golden Flashes went on a 6-1 run to close out the set and grab the 25-21 victory.

SET THREE
The two sides battled back and forth for much of the third set. Trailing by two, 15-13, the Blue Hens went on a 5-0 run to grab a three-point edge. However, the Golden Flashes responded with three unanswered to tie the match back up. A 4-1 Delaware run put the Blue Hens back on top before Mason and Rogers combined for three kills to seal the set win, 25-22.

SET FOUR
After Kent State picked up the first two points, Delaware went on an 8-1 run to grab an 8-3 lead. The Blue Hens continued to build on their advantage and a Johnson kill sparked a 7-2 run to put Delaware on top by eight, 17-9. The Golden Flashes ultimately could not overcome the deficit and the Blue Hens captured the 25-18 win.

SET FIVE
Delaware led 4-2 early before the Golden Flashes erupted on a 12-3 run en route to sealing the match win with a 15-9 set five victory.

UP NEXT
The Blue Hens will close out the Kansas Invitational on Saturday with a 12 p.m. ET match against Wichita State.