Volleyball Goes 2-0 at Blue Hen Invite After Five-Set Win Over Howard, Rogers Records 1000th Career Assist

Sunday, September 15

Newark, Del.

2 PM

University of Delaware

4-3,0-0CAA

Howard

5-4,0-0MEAC

Howard

Delaware

Photo by: Lillie Scheivert

Volleyball Goes 2-0 at Blue Hen Invite After Five-Set Win Over Howard, Rogers Records 1000th Career Assist

9/15/2024 5:26:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Photo Gallery

NEWARK, Del. - University of Delaware volleyball defeated Howard in five sets (25-18, 25-19, 27-29, 21-25, 15-13) to finish the Blue Hen Invitational 2-0 during their home opening weekend. Delaware also wrapped up the non-conference portion of their schedule. Lily Rogers recorded her 1000th career assist during the final set.

HEN HIGHLIGHTS

Rogers finished the match with 51 assists, 12 digs, six kills, a .667 hitting percentage, and four blocks.
Gha'Naye Whitfield-Moss hit . 480 with 15 kills and eight blocks.
Anna Logan Gillens had a team-best 17 kills. She also recorded eight digs and two blocks.
Kirah Johnson recorded 14 kills, hit .355, and had seven blocks.
Savannah Seemans had a team-high 13 digs and three aces and added seven kills and two blocks.
Cadence Nguyen had 12 digs and two aces.
Hannah Wright had nine digs and two aces.

HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST SET

Both teams traded 3-0 runs to begin the first set, then two kills by Johnson, a block by her and Dylan Norris, and an ace by Rogers put UD up 8-4.
Delaware pulled ahead 15-10 after two kills each by Whitfield-Moss and Gillens then used a 4-0 spurt to go up 22-16. Kills by Rogers and Gillens and an ace by Seemans closed the set out.
Whitfield-Moss had five kills in the opening set with a .517 hitting percentage, and Rogers had 10 assists. UD hit .400 and held Howard to a .120 hitting percentage.

SECOND SET

Other than being even at 10, Delaware led for the entirety of the second set.
A block by Rogers and Johnson, kills by Seemans and Johnson, and an ace by Wright broke the tie. After a service error, Delaware scored the next four points on kills by Johnson and Gillens, and an ace by Seemans to lead 19-11. Johnson ended the set with a kill to put Delaware up 2-0 in the match.
Johnson had five kills on eight attempts without an error, and Rogers had 12 assists in the set. Delaware had a .343 hitting percentage in the set.

THIRD SET

The third set had 10 ties and seven lead changes. A 5-0 run by Delaware put them ahead 11-7, Howard chipped away before going on a run to lead 19-15.
Howard led 24-22 before Gillens and Seemans had kills and Norris and Whitfield-Moss had a block to put Delaware ahead 25-24. Delaware led 27-26 after a block by Whitfield-Moss and Seemans but Howard scored three straight to force a fourth set.
Gillens had five kills in the set and Rogers had 13 assists.

FOURTH SET

Set four had 17 ties and 7 lead changes. Neither team led by more than two until Howard pulled away as the score was tied 19-19.
Howard scored five straight points to go up 24-19 and won the set 25-21.
Gillens had four kills in the set and Rogers had 10 assists.

FIFTH SET

Both teams exchanged 3-0 runs early again with Delaware coming out up 6-4 after a kill by Seemans.
Howard took a 10-9 lead and went up 13-11, but Delaware scored the final four points of the set and match to win. Whitfield-Moss had a kill and Johnson and Seemans both had blocks before an error ended it.
Whitfield-Moss had three kills in the final set,

BLUE HEN INVITATIONAL ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

Rogers was named MVP of the Blue Hen Invite. She had 80 assists in eight sets played, nine kills with a .750 hitting percentage, 13 digs, and eight blocks.
Gillens was selected to the All-Tournament Team after recording a team-best 28 kills and hitting .295.

MATCH NOTES

Rogers is now at 1,003 career assists.
Rogers' 51 assists today was a season-best. She became the first UD player with at least 50 assists and five kills in a match since Ezgi Basaranlar did so on Sept. 28, 2019 against UNCW.
Rogers' 12 digs today were also a season-best and her most since having 20 on Oct. 16, 2022 against Stony Brook.
Seemans is up to 922 career kills.
Johnson tied her career-high with 14 kills, done three other times before today. She also had a season-best seven blocks. She has 344 for her career.
Whitfield-Moss had a career-best 15 kills and tied her career-high in blocks with eight.
Gillens set a career-high with her 17 kills and eight digs.
Delaware has won seven straight home matches dating back to last season.
Delaware is 18-6 in non-conference home games since 2018 and 12-1 since 2021.