NEWARK, Del. – The University of Delaware won the last two sets after Loyola University Maryland took the second to score a 25-17, 24-26, 25-14, 25-17 non-conference victory in the teams' first matches of the season.
Delaware took the opening set of the Blue Hens Invitational, but Loyola came back to win the second and even the match. Strong hitting in the last two sets, however, propelled the Blue Hens to the win in four.
Set Breakdown
- Set One
- Delaware opened with the match's first four points before the Greyhounds evened the score at 7-7 on a Morgan Crawford kill, forcing a Blue Hens timeout.
- The Blue Hens sided out on a Loyola service error out of the timeout and took a 9-8 lead on a Lily Rogers kill, and the Delaware lead was between one and three for the next several points.
- A Lauren Link kill for Loyola pulled the Greyhounds within one, 14-13, but Delaware reeled off the next six points with the final two coming on a block assist by Lily Rogers and Asia Murray.
- Set Two
- Riley Hamilton put Loyola up 7-3 with a kill early in the second, and from that point, Delaware did not get closer than two points until it tied the frame at 19-19 on a Ezgi Basaranlar and Murray block.
- The teams traded sideout points before a Murray-Lani Mason block put the Blue Hens up, 21-20.
- Both teams sided out, and the Blue Hens again led by one, but Caitlin Churney responded with a kill for Loyola, and an attack error by Delaware gave the Greyhounds a 23-22 lead.
- Churney put away a solo block to give the Greyhounds their first set point at 24-22, but after a Delaware timeout, the Madelyn Grunza had two-straight kills for the Blue Hens to even the score.
- Link responded with a kill for Loyola's second set point, and the Greyhounds took the stanza off a Delaware attack error.
- Set Three
- Delaware built a 10-3 lead early and extended it to 20-11 to pull away for a third-set win while hitting .333 in the frame.
- Set Four
- Loyola tied the set early at 6-6, but Delaware later scored three in a row to go up 14-9, a lead it would push to seven at 22-15.
Stat Pack
- Lauren Link led the Greyhounds with 13 kills, and she also chipped in with six digs and three blocks.
- Kacy Sekunda recorded a double-double with 16 assists and 12 kills while hitting .400 from the right side.
- Kennedy Stevens recorded eight kills, hitting .400 in the process, with two blocks in her Loyola debut.
- Bryanne Soares was another player to make her Loyola debut as a transfer, and she led the team with 19 assists.
- Rose McDermott had a Loyola-high 14 digs.
Up Next
- Loyola plays two matches on Saturday to close the Blue Hens Invitational, facing Niagara at 11 a.m. and Robert Morris at 3 p.m.
