Boxscore

ATLANTA, Ga. - Four Blue Hens recorded at least 10 kills to help the University of Delaware volleyball team post a victory in its first Colonial Athletic Association match of the season as the squad downed Georgia State, 3-2 (25-27, 26-24, 25-13, 23-25, 15-10), at the GSU Sports Arena on Friday night.

Paige Erickson (at right) led the way for Delaware (5-10, 1-0 CAA) with 15 kills, while Kim Stewart chipped in with 14 to go along with 11 digs. Elena Delle Donne and Meghan Bonk also reached double-figures in kills, notching 12 and 10 respectively.

Jess Chason also posted a match-high 46 assists for the Hens, while Steph Barry led the defense with 23 digs.

With the match tied at two sets apiece, Delaware came out strong in the fifth and final frame. Behind aces by Stewart and Greta Gibboney along with three kills from Erickson, the team grabbed a commanding 8-2 lead.

Having extended the match to a fifth game, Georgia State (0-13, 0-1) refused to go down quietly. The Panthers ran off four straight points, helped by three Blue Hen errors, to pull back within two at 8-6 before Delaware called a timeout.

Still leading by two at 9-7, the Hens utilized back-to-back kills by Bonk to extend their advantage to four. Although the Panthers tried to claw their way back into the set, Stewart had an answer every time.

Eventually, the freshman blasted two kills and an ace in the last few moments of the match to clinch the victory at 15-10.

With her performance, Stewart recorded her second double-double of the season. It also marked her second straight double-digit kill performance after posting 12 against Delaware State on Tuesday.

The beginning of the match was as contentious as the ending with the two teams battling to seven ties in the early part of the opening set. Still tied at 12 apiece, Delaware won four straight rallies, including two on kills by Stewart and Delle Donne, to grab a 16-12 lead.

Two more kills by the freshmen standouts helped the team keep its four-point advantage at 19-15 before a kill by Erickson forced Georgia State to call a timeout. After the break, the Panthers came out recharged, pulling within two at 22-20 following a late run led by two kills from Ashley Jones.

Following a Blue Hen timeout, the team got a quick kill from Katie Dennehy before the Panthers took the next three rallies to knot the set at 23. After a second Delaware timeout, Georgia State grabbed set-point with a kill by Michelle Trimble. Although the Hens kept hope alive, knotting the frame at 24 and 25, a kill by Liz Schaab eventually capped the opener for the home team at 27-25.

With one set in hand, the Panthers jumped out early in the second frame. Although Delaware did earn a 3-3 tie following a Georgia State miscue and a kill by Stewart, that was as close as the team would get to taking a lead in the early going.

GSU grabbed several three-point advantages during the middle of the set before holding its final one at 11-8. At that point, the Hens mounted a comeback. Behind a three-point surge, including two kills by Delle Donne, Delaware tied the set at 11. Still knotted at 13, the Hens took their first lead at 15-13 following a kill by Erickson and an error by the Panthers.

Although Georgia State won the next rally, the Hens took five straight to stretch their lead to six at 20-14. Resilient, the Panthers answered with their own five-point roll to pull back within one at 20-19. Delaware eventually took a two-point lead before GSU answered with three in a row to take a 23-22 advantage.

The Panthers eventually gained set-point at 24-23, but the Hens refused to let down. A Delle Donne kill kept the team alive before a block by Erickson and Bonk gave Delaware the lead at 25-24. With their own set-point, the Hens did not let the opportunity to tie the match slip away as Stewart capped the victory with a kill at 26-24.

Back in the match, the Blue Hens came out on fire in the third frame. Although Georgia State stayed close, trailing by one at 5-4, Delaware was too much to handle. The Hens took seven of the next nine rallies, including four on consecutive kills by Dennehy, Erickson, and two by Stewart, to grab a 12-6 advantage.

Still up by six at 14-8, the Hens ran off five straight points, including a block, kill, and assist by Delle Donne, to stretch their lead to 19-8. Delaware eventually eased into a 25-13 win using late aces by Dennehy and Barry to grab a two-sets-to-one lead.

Trailing for the first time in the match, Georgia State looked to rebound in the fourth frame after jumping out to a 10-7 lead. Two straight kills by DelleDonne quickly pulled Delaware back within one, but the Hens could never quite get ahead.

The Panthers took three straight rallies, highlighted by back-to-back blocks by Michelle Trimble, to take a four-point lead at 13-9. Still leading by four at 18-14, Delaware called a timeout to regroup in the huddle.

The stoppage momentarily helped as the Hens captured four of the next five points to pull within one at 19-18. Six rallies later, Delaware still trailed by one before Gibboney drilled an ace to knot the set at 22 apiece.

With the set even for the first time since 1-1, the teams traded kills before Georgia State capitalized on a Torrie Brown kill and an Ashley Jones ace to send the contest into the fifth frame with a 25-23 victory in the fourth.

Katie Dennehy finished the match with a career-high 17 digs, while Greta Gibboney also had 11 for the Hens.

Georgia State was led by Liz Schaab, who had 12 kills and six blocks. Audrey Cantrell also had 25 digs in the loss.

The Hens will return to action on Sunday when they travel to UNC Wilmington for a 2 p.m. showdown with the Seahawks.