Late Rally Falls Short in Volleyball's Loss to Delaware

BOX SCORE (PDF)

FT. MYERS, FLA. – The University of New Orleans volleyball team began play in the FGCU Hilton Garden Inn Invitational on Friday morning, dropping a 3-1 decision (21-25, 25-14, 25-14, 26-24) to Delaware.

After winning the opening set and dropping back-to-back 25-14 frames, Delaware (4-0) looked to wrap up the contest with a commanding 20-14 lead late in the fourth stanza. New Orleans (1-3) mounted a comeback, using a 10-4 run to tie up the score 24-all, but a Blue Hens' kill followed by a block ended the contest.

"Delaware did a good job of serving competitively and blocking at the net to slow down our offense," head coach Millicent Van Norden explained. "If we are going to win we need to be more consistent. We were more stable during the first set, which is why we were able to push through. We started slow in the last three sets but we were able to fix some problems by the fourth set and came close to forcing a fifth."

Blessing Dunn (Business Management) led the team with 11 kills and digs to record her third-straight double-double of the young 2016 season. Jordan Yauch (Biological Science) chipped in 10 terminations while Brianna Vega (Biological Science) posted nine. Sarah Thomas (Accounting & Finance) paced the offense with 33 assists and two of UNO's eight service aces.

Defensively, Samantha Uline (Exercise Physiology) recorded 19 digs while Keke Richards (Business Management) assisted on four blocks and Rondolyn Bryant (Exercise Physiology) recorded a solo block as the Privateers finished the contest with a season-high six total blocks.

The two sides both logged eight service aces with Delaware finishing with more service errors 6-4. UNO's defense was able to hold the Blue Hens' offense to a .236 hitting percentage, their lowest of the season, while forcing them to commit 20 turnovers after only having 29 in their first three matches combined.

New Orleans opened up the match with four-straight points to take the early lead, recreating the four-point separation after back-to-back service aces from Thomas made it 7-3. The Privateers held the lead until a 5-0 rally from Delaware gave them the advantage at 12-11. Trailing 15-12, the royal blue and silver scored four of the following five points to knot up the score at 16-all and retook the lead at 18-17 after a block from Keke Richards and Dunn. UNO held onto the lead for the final stretch of the set, becoming the first team to take a set from Delaware 25-21.

A 10-0 run by Delaware late in the second stanza propelled them to a 25-14 victory. UNO carried its momentum from the previous frame with the opening two points, but Delaware took the lead early at 6-5. The Privateers created a three-point advantage at 9-6 before a 5-1 rally put Delaware ahead for good at 11-10. The Blue Hens used big runs to take another 25-14 victory in set three, starting off with the first six points and 10 of the opening three to hold the 10-3 advantage. Yauch and Lane Hindenburg scored on back-to-back plays to bring the deficit within five until Delaware countered with a 9-3 run to make it 19-8.

In the final set, Delaware's offense continued to give the Privateers problem as they took the early 6-2 lead, doubling the separation at 12-4. Trailing 20-14, Bryant sparked a UNO rally with a solo block which was followed by Dunn's 10th kill of the contest to give her the double-double. A Blue Hens' attack error with a Yauch kill brought the Privateers within two at 20-18. The two sides exchanged the ensuing six points, keeping the separation within reach but with Delaware two-scores away from ending the contest. Facing elimination, Yauch kept the Privateers alive for one more point with a kill before another error by Delaware knotted the score up at 24-all. The Blue Hens recorded a kill and block to end the match.

The Privateers continue competition in the FGCU Hilton Garden Inn Invitational at 1:30 p.m. against Virginia Commonwealth. UNO's first home match is slated for Thursday, Sept. 22, when the Privateers play host to Houston Baptist in the Human Performance Center. First serve for the contest is slated for 7 p.m. and admission is free.