Boxscore

NEWARK, Del. - The University of Delaware volleyball team continued its hot streak as the Blue Hens downed Hofstra, 3-1 (25-22, 18-25, 25-20, 25-19), during a Colonial Athletic Association showdown at Viera Court on Saturday night.

With the victory, Delaware (15-14, 9-4 CAA) moved above .500 for the first time this season. The team has now won eight of its last nine contests, including five straight victories at home.

Katie Dennehy led the surging Hens, posting a match-high 17 kills to go along with three blocks and two aces. Jess Chason (at right) also continued her strong season, recording her team-leading 13th double-double after notching 42 assists and 10 digs. She also added a pair of aces for the victors.

Freshman standouts Kim Stewart and Elena Delle Donne rounded out a potent offensive attack. Stewart posted 12 kills and added 14 digs, while DelleDonne had 11 kills and a match-high six blocks.

After an early back-and-forth battle in the opening frame, Hofstra (16-12, 8-4) grabbed a five-point lead at 10-5 after winning four straight rallies. After the teams traded points, a block and kill by Delle Donne on back-to-back plays brought Delaware within two at 11-9.

Although Delaware continued to trade rallies with Hofstra, the Hens saw its two-point deficit remain until 20-18 when the team called a timeout. Following the break, Dennehy blasted a kill and Delle Donne came back with another before Chason fired back-to-back aces to give Delaware its first lead at 22-21.

With set-point in reach, Delle Donne stuffed a Hofstra attack attempt before Dennehy notched a kill and an ace to clinch the 25-22 victory.

The Pride rebounded in the second frame, jumping out to another 10-5 lead before a six-point rally, led by two kills from Lauren Engle, gave the visitors a commanding 16-6 advantage.

Although Delaware responded with a three-point run, capped by a block from Dennehy and Delle Donne, the Hens could only pull back within seven once before another Engle kill clinched the 25-18 win and tied the match at one set apiece.

Delaware regrouped prior to the third set and won the first four rallies, including two kills by Delle Donne. After the Hens got a kill and ace from Dennehy and back-to-back blasts from Stewart and Meghan Bonk, Hofstra called a timeout trailing by five at 10-5.

Following a brief Pride rally that saw the team pull within two at 12-10, Stewart notched a kill and ace to help give Delaware a five-point cushion at 15-10. Kills by Dennehy and DelleDonne eventually extended the edge to seven at 19-12.

After a Hofstra timeout, the team did chip its deficit down to four at 22-18, but kills by Stewart and Paige Erickson along with a Pride error gave Delaware the 25-20 win.

One set away from victory, the Blue Hens found themselves trailing early again as Hofstra grabbed a 10-6 lead. Still down by four at 14-10, Delaware went on a clutch mid-set surge, winning five straight rallies to grab the squad’s first lead at 15-14. Dennehy starred in the resurgence, posting three kills and a block to give the Hens the lead.

Although consecutive kills by Engle helped Hofstra regain the lead, Delaware eventually went on another five-point roll, highlighted by two kills from Erickson, to grab a 21-17 advantage.

The late rally proved to be the backbreaker as Hofstra never recovered. A kill by Bonk and a Pride miscue set up two straight kills by Erickson, which clinched the four-set victory with a 25-19 win in the final frame.

Erickson finished with seven kills on just 18 swings, while Steph Barry posted a team-high 19 digs. Bonk also had four kills and a pair of blocks.

Hofstra was led by Lauren Engle, who posted 15 kills. Monica Knight also chipped in with 12 kills and 10 digs.

Delaware will return to action on Tuesday when the squad wraps up its regular-season home slate with a 7 p.m. match-up against UMBC.