The AU volleyball team saw its season come to an end when it fell to the University of Delaware 3-1 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament Dec. 2 at Penn State.
The Eagles (23-11, 13-1 PL) lost by set scores of 25-17, 22-25, 22-25 and 23-25 to the Blue Hens (21-13, 11-3 CAA), who were champions of the Colonial Athletic Association.
AU’s 10-game winning streak that started Oct. 19 at Howard University snapped with the loss.
After their victory in the first set, the Eagles were unable to continue their excellent passing and defense, which was one of the determining factors in the match.
“A couple areas of our game fell apart,” said Rebecca Heath, who recorded a double-double with 14 digs and 10 kills for AU. “Passing wasn’t where it normally is, and we just weren’t as tight on defense where we needed to be, and that was big.”
After being in control for the entire first set and not allowing Delaware to lead at any point, AU fell behind 13-7 in the second set. The Eagles fought back and earned a couple of points, but were down 22-15 after the Blue Hens took advantage of multiple AU attack errors.
However, the Eagles made their most impressive run of the game by scoring six straight points to cut Delaware’s second set lead to 22-21.
“[Head Coach] Barry [Goldberg] always says blocks come in bunches, and it all started to come at one time,” said freshman Kelly McCaddin, who totaled 11 kills and had a match-high hitting percentage of .526. “We’re a big team, so when we make kills and get blocks, we get momentum.”
But AU wasn’t able to complete the comeback, and Delaware took the second set to even the match at one.
Throughout the third set, the Eagles struggled to make good passes, which led to them committing eight attacks errors.
“Our ball control wasn’t that great,and when we don’t have ball control, everything else just kind of falls apart,” said freshman hitter Sara Rishell, who tallied 10 kills and six blocks for the Eagles.
The third set entailed six lead changes and nine ties. However, Delaware picked up two points off a Heath service error and Katie Hank kill to take the game 25-22.
“There was a point in the third set that we lost, and everything just felt tense,” said sophomore Morgan Hendrix, who led the Eagles with 12 kills. “We weren’t playing like we usually play, and we kind of freaked out.”
The fourth and final set was more of the same for AU, as the team struggled to make good passes and get solid hits on the ball en route to a 25-23 fourth set loss that clinched the match for Delaware.
“We’re a young team, and to get that far is outstanding,” Rishell said. “A loss puts a chip on our shoulder, and I’m really looking forward to going back to the tournament next year to turn some heads.”
