NEWARK, Del. - - After a slow first set, the Wilmington University volleyball team turned it on and defeated Kutztown, 3-1, to open the 2023 Wildcat Regional Invitational inside the WU Athletics Complex on Friday.
Set scores for the match were 23-25, 25-18, 25-21, and 25-17.
Much like their first set of the season at Millersville, the Wildcats (4-1) got off to a slow start in the opening set on Friday, committing a match high five errors and hitting .157, with only two blocks. By the end of the match, the Wildcats hit .232 with 13 total blocks.
The Wildcats held a 13-11 lead in the first set, but then needed a timeout as Kutztown led 16-14, and again trailing 22-18. Shannen Litten and Cailyn Smiley put down back-to-back points to force Kutztown into a timeout, 22-20. The Golden Bears were at set point before a service error and a Smiley kill forced another Kutztown timeout, 24-23. But Sadie Doss put down a termination for the 25-23 set victory.
The Wildcats' presence at the net arrived in the second set, as they came away with four total blocks. The set was tied 12-12 before the Wildcats rattled off three straight to force a Kutztown timeout. Out of the break, an error and then a block by Alex Serna and Katie Bushong made Kutztown take its second timeout of the set, 17-12. Shannen Litten put down a kill to make it 21-14 before Elly Collins added an ace to tie the match, 25-18.
The teams went back and forth to start the third set before the Wildcats scored five of six points to grab a 14-11 lead. Back-to-back kills from Smiley and Brice Hansen made it 19-13 before the Golden Bears fought back to close the gap to as few as 22-18. Katie Bushong and Karalyn Osborne got their hands on a block to give the Wildcats set point, 24-21, before Alex Serna closed it out with a kill, 25-21.
The block really shined in the fourth set, as the Wildcats collected five total blocks on their way to the victory. The Wildcats raced out to a 7-0 lead and never looked back, getting kills from Bushong, Hansen, and Serna, and a block by Serna and Smiley. Another 3-0 run, sandwiched by aces from Alex Serna, gave the Wildcats a 13-2 lead and saw Kutztown use their second timeout of the set. A kill from Sydney Barrett pushed the Wildcat lead to 20-9 but the Golden Bears clawed their way back into it, getting as close as 20-16. But the Wildcats regained momentum with a block and a kill from Brady Hrivnak. Back-to-back Kutztown errors gave the Wildcats the set, 25-17, and the match, 3-1.
The offense was spread around, as Cailyn Smiley led the attack with 12 kills while hitting .220. Brice Hansen finished with 11 kills while hitting .281 and Shannen Litten led the middles with nine kills and only one error. Alex Serna added seven kills as well. Litten had a solo and five bock assists while Serna added five block assists.
Katie Bushong dished out 34 assists while adding a team high six block assists and a solo block. Elly Collins led the back row with 19 digs while Smiley added 10 for her fourth double-double of the year.
The Wildcats continue the Wildcat Regional Invitational on Saturday with matches against Queens (9:00 am) and Molloy (7:00 pm) inside the WU Athletics Complex.
