PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - - After dominating the first two sets, the Wilmington University volleyball team squandered away a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference victory away as Chestnut Hill came back to win the match, 3-2, inside Sorgenti Arena on Thursday night.
Set scores for the match were 25-7, 25-13, 23-25, 16-25, and 16-18.
The Wildcats (6-6, 1-1 CACC) hit .292 in the first set and .355 in the second to take a 2-0 lead, but then hit under .100 in each of the next three games as the Griffins (3-4, 2-0 CACC) fought back in the match.
Wilmington came off the blocks and blitzed the Griffins, 11-1, to start the game. They finished off the first set on an 11-3 run to win the opening set, 25-7. The big run came in the middle of the set in game two, as the Wildcats turned a 10-9 lead into a 19-10 lead quickly. Brice Hansen had back-to-back-to-back kills during the run. The Wildcats finished off the set on a 6-1 run as well, scoring the last three points to take a 2-0 lead, 25-13.
The third set was tied 18-18 before the Griffins started to pull away. They scored four straight to take a 22-18 lead. But the Wildcats fought back with a 4-1 run to get as close as 23-22, but the teams just traded points the rest of the way, as the Griffins stayed alive with a kill, 25-23,
Three straight points brought the Wildcats to within 11-10 in the fourth set, but then the Griffins went on an 8-0 run to take a 19-10 advantage. The Wildcats struggled to string multiple points together down the stretch of the set, as the Griffins were able to tie the match, 25-16.
The Wildcats scored four straight to take a 4-2 early lead in the fifth but the Griffins answered with five consecutive of their own to regain a 7-4 lead. An Alex Serna kill started a 4-0 run for the Wildcats, in route to a 7-1 run overall to take an 11-8 lead after back-to-back aces from Claudia Melendez. Chestnut Hill tied the match, 12-12, and then the teams traded the seven points, with the Wildcats holding match point at 14-13, 15-14, and 16-15. The Griffins fought off all three match points and then picked up an ace for their first match point, 17-16. A Wildcat was in the net on the attack, giving match point to the Griffins, 18-16.
Freshman Cailyn Smiley led the attack with 15 kills and 14 digs. Brice Hansen finished with 13 kills while only committing two errors, adding 13 digs for the double-double. Shannen Litten put down 12 kills from her middle position, adding six total blocks (two solo). Elly Collins had 24 digs while Katie Bushong added 34 assists and 13 digs.
The Wildcats look to rebound on Saturday as they travel to another CACC South Division foe in Georgian Court. The match against the Lions is set to begin at 12:00 p.m. in Lakewood, New Jersey.