NEWARK, Del. - - The 2023 Wilmington University volleyball senior class led the team to a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference sweep of Caldwell on Senior Day, locking up one of the four playoff positions from the South Division on Saturday at the WU Athletics Complex.
Set scores for the match were 25-9, 25-11, and 25-17.
Senior Sydney Barrett and Dorie Moore led the attack with eight kills each while Katie Bushong quarterbacked the offense with 26 assists and six aces. Elly Collins protected the back line, leading with 17 digs while adding four digs and an ace.
The Wildcats used a 10-0 run to separate themselves in the first set, opening a 13-3 lead. They also scored 11 of the final 14 points of the set, closing the game on a 6-0 run to win going away, 25-9.
Wilmington then scored the first six points of the second set and led 10-3 in the early going. They used another 11-3 spurt to open up the lead in the second set, leading, 24-9. The Cougars saved two set points but then a block from Carliegh Santavy and Dorie Moore collected a block to win the game, 25-11.
The Wildcats carried the momentum into the third set, scoring the opening nine points and starting the game on a 12-1 run. A 4-0 run with a kill from Moore, a block by Santavy and Shannen Litten, a kill from Brady Hrivnak, and an ace from Karalyn Osborne had the Wildcats leading 22-9. The Cougars stayed in the game however, scoring the next seven points to close the gap to 22-16. But a kill from Sydney Barrett and a Cougar error ended the match, 25-17.
The Wildcats held the Cougars to hit negative for the match, -.029, getting to six total blocks and 60 digs. The Wildcats also had 13 service aces in the match, led by Bushong (6) and Claudia Melendez (3).
The Wildcats have one match remaining in the regular season as they travel to CACC South Division leading Jefferson on Thursday. The Wildcats secured a berth into the CACC Tournament on Saturday, with seeding yet to be determined. The Wildcats and Rams are set for a 6:00 p.m. first serve in Philadelphia on Thursday.
