University of Delaware Athletics

Volleyball Prepares For CAA Semifinals Showdown With #7 William & Mary
11/18/2022 11:30:00 AM | Volleyball
TOWSON, Md. – Nobody said the road to the 'ship was going to be easy, but it is worth it! Third-seeded University of Delaware volleyball team survived the CAA Championship quarterfinal round Thursday evening (Nov. 17) to advance to its 12th semifinal since entering the league in 2001. First-year head coach Kimberly Lambert and her flock of Blue Hens (16-10) is set for Friday's (Nov. 18) semifinal duel against seventh-seeded William & Mary (12-13) as opening serve is slated for 6:30 p.m. inside SECU Arena.
HOW DID WE GET HERE?
Down two sets early, Delaware showed why they are called the Fightin' Blue Hens and completed the reverse sweep over sixth-seeded Charleston (14-16) in the last quarterfinal match of the night. The Blue Hens were led by CAA Player of the Year Lani Mason's 23 kills and 17 digs (15th double-double on the season), Lily Rogers' career-best 15 kills and Savannah Seemans 10-kill and 17-dig performance (sixth double-double on the season). All-CAA second-team selection Ezgi Basaranlar was charged with directing the Blue Hen offense, dishing out match-high 48 assists to go with 13 digs, tallying her fourth double-double of the season while Eileen Gex anchored the Blue Hen defense with a career-best 28 digs. Kirah Johnson stood tall for Delaware and sent away six attempts.
William & Mary upset second-seeded Hofstra (17-12) 3-2 in dramatic fashion during Thursday's third quarterfinal match as the Tribe also completed the reverse sweep to win its first CAA Tournament match since 2001. Taylor Burrell was one of three Tribe players with double-digit kills as Maddie Meyers tallied a season-high 14 and Eleanor Stothoff led the match with 17. Additionally, Emma Minnick and Anna Porter tallied double-doubles in the effort, with Minnick recording 17 assists and 17 digs and Porter adding 13 assists and 10 digs.
On the other side of the bracket is top-seeded and three-time defending champions Towson (27-1) meeting fourth-seeded Northeastern (14-12) in the semifinals at 4 p.m. Both the Tigers and the Huskies took care of business, winning in four sets over eighth-seeded Stony Brook (10-16) and fifth-seeded Elon (13-14), respectively.
OUR POSTSEASON HISTORY
On the quest to capture its fifth CAA Championship, the Blue Hens will be seeking its first final berth since the 2016 season. The Blue & Gold won back-to-back titles in 2007-08 and again 2010-11. Overall, Delaware is 17-11 all-time in CAA tournament games.
SEASON/ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST WILLIAM & MARY
Delaware and William & Mary will be meeting for the third time this fall, first time ever in the postseason, as the Blue Hens swept the two-match regular-season series in Williamsburg, Va. Friday's match will be the 48th all-time meeting, with Delaware holding a 31-16 record over the Tribe and winners of eight of the last 10 matchups. The highlight of the Blue Hen/Tribe matchup was on Nov. 5 where Mason led the way with 30 kills and 17 digs and Basaranlar finished with a career-best 65 assists, which sits tied for eighth in the record books in the five-set win. The second game of the series on Nov. 6 was another five-set thriller that favored the Blue Hens that led by Mason's 30 kills, which was the second-straight match and the fifth time this season she reached this feat.
THE QUEST TO THE CAA TROPHY AND THE NCAA AUTOMATIC BID IS ON!
The 2022 CAA Volleyball Championship, presented by Primis, will run from Thursday, Nov. 17 through Saturday, Nov. 19 inside Towson's SECU Arena. The two winners of the semis will advance to the Championship match that is slated for 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19. The winner of the tournament will earn the automatic bid into the 2022 NCAA Volleyball Division I Tournament.
Tournament Central
Tickets
Tickets are on sale now through Towson's Ticketmaster page: https://am.ticketmaster.com/towson/vbcaa
All Session: $20 Adult, $15 Youth/Senior (5-17, 65+)
Single Day: $10 Adult, $5 Youth/Senior (5-17, 65+)
Live Statistics of Delaware/William & Mary matchup can be found here and all three matches of the championship will be carried on
(click on the image or click here)
CAA Full Tournament page can be found here.
Match Notes | Delaware | CAA
BLUE HENS on SOCIAL MEDIA
For the latest on the University of Delaware Volleyball, follow the Blue Hens via social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
HOW DID WE GET HERE?
Down two sets early, Delaware showed why they are called the Fightin' Blue Hens and completed the reverse sweep over sixth-seeded Charleston (14-16) in the last quarterfinal match of the night. The Blue Hens were led by CAA Player of the Year Lani Mason's 23 kills and 17 digs (15th double-double on the season), Lily Rogers' career-best 15 kills and Savannah Seemans 10-kill and 17-dig performance (sixth double-double on the season). All-CAA second-team selection Ezgi Basaranlar was charged with directing the Blue Hen offense, dishing out match-high 48 assists to go with 13 digs, tallying her fourth double-double of the season while Eileen Gex anchored the Blue Hen defense with a career-best 28 digs. Kirah Johnson stood tall for Delaware and sent away six attempts.
William & Mary upset second-seeded Hofstra (17-12) 3-2 in dramatic fashion during Thursday's third quarterfinal match as the Tribe also completed the reverse sweep to win its first CAA Tournament match since 2001. Taylor Burrell was one of three Tribe players with double-digit kills as Maddie Meyers tallied a season-high 14 and Eleanor Stothoff led the match with 17. Additionally, Emma Minnick and Anna Porter tallied double-doubles in the effort, with Minnick recording 17 assists and 17 digs and Porter adding 13 assists and 10 digs.
On the other side of the bracket is top-seeded and three-time defending champions Towson (27-1) meeting fourth-seeded Northeastern (14-12) in the semifinals at 4 p.m. Both the Tigers and the Huskies took care of business, winning in four sets over eighth-seeded Stony Brook (10-16) and fifth-seeded Elon (13-14), respectively.
OUR POSTSEASON HISTORY
On the quest to capture its fifth CAA Championship, the Blue Hens will be seeking its first final berth since the 2016 season. The Blue & Gold won back-to-back titles in 2007-08 and again 2010-11. Overall, Delaware is 17-11 all-time in CAA tournament games.
SEASON/ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST WILLIAM & MARY
Delaware and William & Mary will be meeting for the third time this fall, first time ever in the postseason, as the Blue Hens swept the two-match regular-season series in Williamsburg, Va. Friday's match will be the 48th all-time meeting, with Delaware holding a 31-16 record over the Tribe and winners of eight of the last 10 matchups. The highlight of the Blue Hen/Tribe matchup was on Nov. 5 where Mason led the way with 30 kills and 17 digs and Basaranlar finished with a career-best 65 assists, which sits tied for eighth in the record books in the five-set win. The second game of the series on Nov. 6 was another five-set thriller that favored the Blue Hens that led by Mason's 30 kills, which was the second-straight match and the fifth time this season she reached this feat.
THE QUEST TO THE CAA TROPHY AND THE NCAA AUTOMATIC BID IS ON!
The 2022 CAA Volleyball Championship, presented by Primis, will run from Thursday, Nov. 17 through Saturday, Nov. 19 inside Towson's SECU Arena. The two winners of the semis will advance to the Championship match that is slated for 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19. The winner of the tournament will earn the automatic bid into the 2022 NCAA Volleyball Division I Tournament.
Tournament Central
Tickets
Tickets are on sale now through Towson's Ticketmaster page: https://am.ticketmaster.com/towson/vbcaa
All Session: $20 Adult, $15 Youth/Senior (5-17, 65+)
Single Day: $10 Adult, $5 Youth/Senior (5-17, 65+)
Live Statistics of Delaware/William & Mary matchup can be found here and all three matches of the championship will be carried on

CAA Full Tournament page can be found here.
Match Notes | Delaware | CAA
BLUE HENS on SOCIAL MEDIA
For the latest on the University of Delaware Volleyball, follow the Blue Hens via social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Players Mentioned
Highlight: VB CAA Champions - 11/18/23
Sunday, November 19
Highlight: VB vs. Hofstra - 10/22/23
Sunday, October 22
Highlight: VB vs. Hofstra - 10-21-23
Saturday, October 21
Highlight: VB vs. Charleston - 10/1/23
Monday, October 16