NEWARK, Del. - - The Wilmington University volleyball team had its three-match win streak snapped as Jefferson swept the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference contest, 3-0, on Thursday night at the WU Athletics Complex.
Set scores for the match were 25-23, 25-21, and 25-15.
The Rams scored the first six points of the match before the Wildcats battled back with a 7-0 run of their own to grab a 17-15 lead on the service of Cailyn Smiley. The Rams answered with the next five points to take a 20-17 lead and then had set point, 24-20. The Wildcats held onto three set points, getting a kill from Brice Hansen and back-to-back errors by the Rams, but a service error gave the Rams the set, 25-23.
The Wildcats were the one to jump out to a large lead to start the second set, scoring the first three and taking a 7-1 lead after back-to-back Ram errors. The Rams scored four consecutive points to tie the set, 13-13, but the Wildcats got kills from Hansen and Karalyn Osborne, and a block from Dorie Moore and Osborne to regain a 16-13 lead. But the Rams went on a 6-0 run, taking the lead, 19-16. Smiley put down a kill to tie the game, 19-19, but then the Rams scored four straight before gaining set point, 24-20. A service error gave the Rams the second set, 25-21.
The Rams rattled off six straight points early in the third set to take an 8-2 lead. A kill from Cailyn Smiley brought the Wildcats to within 11-8, but then the Rams scored four straight in route to a 12-1 run to put the match away. Sam Mann put down the final kill of the night, winning the match, 25-15.
Brice Hansen led the Wildcats with 14 kills while hitting .300 for the match, adding 16 digs for the double-double. Cailyn Smiley collected 11 kills as well. Elly Collins picked up 24 digs while Katie Bushong dished out 26 assists and added 11 digs for the double-double.
The Rams had four players with double digit kills for the match and hit .229 as a team.
The Wildcats take to the road for their next three matches, starting with Bloomfield on Saturday. The match in North Jersey is set for a 1:00 p.m. first serve.
