Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

Delaware - Syracuse Boxscore

Delaware - Michigan State Boxscore

NEWARK, Del. – The University of Delaware volleyball team capped off its performance in the Delaware Invitational by dominating Syracuse, 3-0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-17), before falling to Michigan State, 3-0 (25-19, 25-23, 25-8), in the championship match on Saturday at Viera Court.

Steph Barry (at right) and Paige Erickson both earned All-Tournament honors for their efforts during the invitational. Over the team’s three matches, Barry led the way with 48 digs, while also chipping in with seven assists and two aces.

Erickson used a well-balanced effort to earn her spot on the squad, posting a team-high 13 blocks and five aces. She also recorded 19 kills and 12 digs during the two-day tournament.

Following the team’s first win of the season on Friday night against New Hampshire, Delaware (2-4) came out on fire against Syracuse on Saturday afternoon. After a 30-minute delay at the beginning of the match to repair a small leak in the roof, the Hens’ offense rained down on the Orange.

In the beginning, the first set was competitive with Syracuse (2-4) holding an early two-point lead at 10-8. Delaware responded with an incredible surge, going on a seven-point swing to grab a 15-10 advantage.

Although the Orange answered by winning two rallies, Michelle LaLonde made the play of the set after taking a pass from Jess Chason and smashing a laser into the heart of the Syracuse defense. The ball eventually ricocheted back into play after glancing off a defender’s face, but Delaware won the rally and energized the crowd.

Two more kills by LaLonde pushed the Hens’ lead to 18-14 before the Orange responded with a rally of its own. Behind five straight points, including an ace by Erin Little, Syracuse took over the lead with a 19-18 advantage.

With the momentum shifting, Delaware called a timeout and regrouped in the huddle. Following the break, the Hens took five of the next seven points, highlighted by a Greta Gibboney ace and two kills from Erickson.

Leading 23-21, the teams split the last four points of the set with a kill by Katie Dennehy sealing a 25-23 victory in the first frame.

The second set began as a seesaw battle with the two squads battling to five ties before the final deadlock at 8-8. After back-to-back kills by LaLonde and Dennehy put the team up 10-8, Delaware never relinquished its lead. Syracuse did pull within one on a handful of occasions, but the Blue Hens always had an answer.

Eventually, six kills from Dennehy and three by Elena Delle Donne in the final moments of the match gave Delaware a 25-19 victory.

With two sets in hand, the Hens held a commanding lead entering the third frame. Unable to grab an early advantage, though, Delaware found itself trailing by three at 9-6. Despite the deficit, the Hens quickly dug their way out of the hole as a kill and an ace from Chason kicked off an eight-point roll that gave the team a 14-9 lead.

Although Syracuse cut its deficit down to three on two occasions, Delaware used two kills by Erickson and Dennehy as well as aces from Gibboney and Kim Stewart to clinch the team’s second victory of the season with a 25-17 win.

Barry finished the contest with a match-high 14 digs, while Gibboney and Stewart chipped in with 12 and 11, respectively. Chason also led the way with 29 assists, while LaLonde notched five blocks.

After a mid-afternoon break, the Hens entered the championship bout against Michigan State (3-3), who also came into action undefeated in the Tournament. The Spartans got off to a strong start, scoring four straight points including three on kills by Jenilee Rathje. After a block by Delle Donne and LaLonde put the Hens on the board, Michigan State held their three-point advantage until taking off on a roll following a 9-6 lead.

After four straight points, including two off kills by Becca Zlabis, Michigan State held an intimidating 13-6 lead. MSU eventually held its seven-point lead for nearly the remainder of the set, only losing it at the end when a late rally by Delaware, highlighted by an Erickson ace, brought the final score down to 25-19.

The Hens played inspired ball in the second set, despite the Spartans’ early 8-5 lead. Two kills by Stewart and another by Delle Donne pulled the team within one at 9-8. Michigan State eventually took a two-point lead at 16-14 before momentum shifted to Delaware’s side.

Following a Michigan State timeout, Delaware used kills by Chason and Dennehy as well as two Spartan errors to take a 19-17 lead. The two teams battled back-and-forth after that point before a block by LaLonde and DelleDonne gave the Hens a 23-21 lead.

Unfortunately, the team could not hold on to its two-point lead as Vanessa King took over for the Spartans. The junior middle hitter eventually posted four consecutive kills to clinch the set at 25-23.

The two-point loss was as close as Delaware would come to upsetting the powerful Michigan State squad, who advanced all the way to the Sweet 16 last season. In the third and final frame, the Spartans simply proved to be too much to handle as they jumped out to an impressive 12-1 lead.

The deficit was too large to overcome for Delaware, despite a great performance by freshman Kim Stewart. The 5-9 outside hitter notched back-to-back kills in the middle of the frame and later added two more, including one that handcuffed a Spartan defender and eventually sent her falling backwards to the floor.

Stewart’s efforts alone were not enough to pull Delaware back into the game, however, as Michigan State captured the championship with a 25-8 victory in the third set.

Dennehy led the team with nine kills in the title bout, while Stewart added 10 digs. LaLonde and DelleDonne also added three blocks apiece.

Vanessa King was eventually named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player after recording a match-high 14 kills and six blocks against Delaware. Jenilee Rathje also had 11 kills, while Allyson Karaba had 22 digs.

The Hens hope to build upon their strong showing in the Delaware Invitational when they return home on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. with a match-up against Temple.