NEWARK, Del. - - The Wilmington University volleyball team opened the 2013 Wildcat Regional Invitational with a sweep over Millersville, before coming back and winning a five-set thriller against Adelphi to go 2-0 on Friday at the WU Athletics Complex.
Set scores against Millersville were 25-21, 25-20, and 25-22.
Set scores against Adelphi were 25-22, 24-26, 27-25, 20-25, and 15-10.
Defense was the key in the first match of the afternoon, as the team picked up 19 digs per set and denied eight total blocks in only three games. The Wildcats (6-6 overall) also distributed seven service aces against Millersville.
Leading the back row were libero and defensive specialist Shelby Henderson and Annie Scarfo, as they were the only Wildcats to record double digit digs in the three-set sweep. Henderson led all Wildcats with 16 while Scarfo added 11 in the victory.
Katie Shorter denied four attacks by block assists and added a solo block, while fellow middle Brittany Biddle added two block assists and the only other solo block of the match for the Wildcats .Alex Siolos chipped in with three block assists while Hannah McQueen added two block assists. Overall, the Wildcats out blocked the Marauders, 8-3.
Behind the service line, it was Siolos that paced the Wildcats with three service aces, while Henderson added a pair as well. Freshmen Alison Briley and Taylor Rapuano chipped in with one service ace each to round out the team's seven aces.
The Wildcats also collected seven service aces in the five set thriller against Adelphi in their second match of the day, as it was Couch who converted three serves into aces this time around. DiGiacinto, Siolos, Henderson, and Rapuano each tallied one ace to give the team their total.
The match against Adelphi was more of an offensive output for the Wildcats, as they hit .206 as a team, including an outstanding .450 in the fifth and deciding set.
In that fifth and deciding set, the team collected 10 kills with only one error on 20 swings to finish off the Panthers.
Wilmington only trailed once in the fifth set before grabbing the lead for good. Trailing 2-1, the Wildcats scored three straight points and five of the next six points to take a 6-3 lead. The Panthers were only able to get within one point once the rest of the set, 6-5, with the Wildcats holding at least a two point lead the rest of the way.
Leading 10-8, a Briley kill was followed by a double block by Siolos and Shorter to force an Adelphi timeout at 12-8. The Panthers were able to get it to 12-9 after the timeout, but back-to-back kills from DiGiacinto and Siolos gave the Wildcats five set and match points. Biddle put an end to the match quickly, collecting a kill from Couch for the 15-10 victory.
DiGiacinto collected a team high 13 kills in the second match, followed by Shorter's 11 terminations. Shorter also led the team with a .348 attack percentage, four solo blocks, and two block assists. Biddle added nine kills with only two errors while also providing a solo block and two block assists.
The Wildcats hit .316 in the first set, tallying 13 kills on 38 attempts with only one error before coming out with a 25-22 victory. Despite three straight sets of attack percentages below .160, the Wildcats battled back and hit .450 in the fifth set to close out the win.
The Wildcat Regional Invitational continues on Saturday with all six teams in the tournament playing two more matches in the WU Athletics Complex. The Wildcats will square off against NYIT, who also went 2-0 on Friday, at 10 a.m. The hosts will then round out the Invitational with a 4 p.m. match against Le Moyne.