PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - - After taking the first set of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference South Division contest, the Wilmington University volleyball team couldn't hang on against Chestnut Hill, falling, 3-1, on Wednesday night inside Sorgenti Arena.
Set scores for the match were 25-14, 13-25,21-25, and 22-25.
The loss for the Wildcats (11-19, 6-9 CACC) forced a must win situation on Saturday against Goldey-Beacom on Senior Day. The Wildcats need to defeat the Lightning and have Chestnut Hill defeat Holy Family to earn the No. 4 spot in the South Division for the CACC Tournament.
The Wildcats raced out to an 8-3 lead in the first set and then scored eight straight to take a 16-4 lead, getting kills from Alex Serna and Karla Nunez-Rivera following a Chestnut Hill timeout. Another 4-0 run gave the Wildcats a 20-5 lead before eventually closing out the set with a kill from Eliz Schneider, 25-14.
Tied 6-6 in the second, the Griffins went on a 7-1 run to take command of the set. Another 9-1 run gave the Griffins set point, 24-11, before the Wildcats were able to save two game points. The Griffins tied the match, 1-1, with a 25-13 second set.
Wilmington scored the first five points of the third set, but the Griffins answered right back with a 10-3 run to lead, 10-8. A kill from Claudia Melendez gave the Wildcats a 13-12 lead, but then the Griffins went on a 9-1 run to take command, 21-14. The Wildcats got back into the game with four straight points, 21-18, nut back-to-back aces gave the Griffins set point, 24-18. The Wildcats saved three set points before a CHC kill gave them the advantage, 25-21.
The Wildcats and Griffins were locked at 15-15 in the fourth set before the Griffins went on a 5-0 run to distance themselves. Back-to-back points pushed the Griffins ahead, 23-18, but the Wildcats attempted a late-game comeback with a 3-0 run, 23-21. The Wildcats saved one match point with a Schneider kill, but then the Griffins ended the match with a kill, 25-22.
Eliza Schneider led the Wildcats with 11 kills while adding eight digs. Alex Serna put down nine kills while hitting .538 with three aces and two blocks. Karla Nunez-Rivera chipped in with six kills, three digs, and three blocks as well. Cam Justus passed out 11 assists while Morgan Daniels had 10 digs. Ally Jonika finished with six blocks.
The Wildcats and Lightning are set for their match on Saturday at the WU Athletics Complex. The first serve is set for 1:00 p.m.