Boxscore / File Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

BOSTON, Mass. – Katie Dennehy fired 19 kills while Elena Delle Donne tied a career-high with eight blocks to lead the University of Delaware volleyball team to a berth in the Colonial Athletic Association finals with a 3-1 (15-25, 25-16, 25-22, 25-16) victory over Virginia Commonwealth at Northeastern’s Solomon Court on Sunday night.

In the finals scheduled for tomorrow at 7 p.m., the Blue Hens will square off with host and No. 1 seed Northeastern. The Huskies advanced to the championship match following a 3-0 victory over Hofstra in the earlier semifinal contest. It will be the third CAA finals appearance for Delaware after winning the title last season following a loss to Towson in 2004.

Along with her 19 kills, Dennehy (at right) hit a team-best .349 and chipped in with three aces, including two during a crucial run in the fourth set. Kim Stewart and Paige Erickson also had nine kills apiece, while Jess Chason continued her strong season with another double-double after posting 40 assists and 12 digs.

Delaware (18-15) fought hard from the start, opening the match on a 6-3 run aided by kills from Dennehy and Erickson along with a block from Delle Donne and Stewart. Unfortunately, VCU (19-11) answered with an imposing run following a pair of two-point swings.

The No. 2 seeded Rams took 12 of the next 16 rallies, including a six-point roll that forced Delaware to call a timeout trailing by five at 17-12. Although Dennehy blasted a shot after the break, VCU came back with a five-point swing to pull ahead by nine at 22-13.

The advantage proved to be simply insurmountable as the Rams used two late kills by Elia Kuehnel, including the clincher, to post a 25-15 victory in the opening frame.

Showing a maturity far beyond its years, Delaware’s young unit was unfazed by the one-set deficit. The team pieced together an immediate response, capitalizing on back-to-back blasts by Dennehy and another kill from Stewart to grab a 6-3 edge in the second set.

VCU eventually took the next two rallies, highlighted by an ace from Lenka Melicharkova, to pull close at 6-5. The one-point deficit was as close as the Rams would get, however, as Delaware answered each VCU rally with a run of its own.

In the middle of the set, a well-balanced attack by the Hens helped the squad sustain its lead and eventually stretch it to two at 14-12. At that point, Dennehy took over, firing two straight kills before teaming with Delle Donne on a block to put the Hens up, 17-12.

Still holding a comfortable lead at 19-15, Delaware pieced together a five-point run, including an ace from Greta Gibboney, to give the team set-point at 24-15. Following a VCU kill, Erickson put the set away, firing a shot to clinch the frame at 25-16.

After the mid-match break, the Hens fell behind early for the first time all day as the Rams pulled out to a 6-4 lead after two blocks from Kelise Clegg. Despite the deficit, Delaware was poised with a response, pulling even at seven following an unusual play that saw two Hens hit the floor before they regained their legs and set-up Meghan Bonk on an impressive blast down the line.

Still knotted at 11 despite two kills by Erickson, VCU regained a lead at 15-13 following a four-point roll that included two aces from Elisa Kuehnel. Back-to-back shots by Dennehy allowed Delaware to pull even, but the Rams found themselves up by two again at 21-19.

With time running out, Dennehy posted a kill and block on back-to-back plays before reteaming with Delle Donne on another stuff to tie the set at 22. Although VCU called two timeouts in the waning moments of the set, Delaware refused to break, picking up kills from Bonk and Stewart and a blistering ace from Dennehy to seal the set at 25-22.

Leading two-sets-to-one, Delaware fell behind by modest one-point deficits in the early part of the fourth frame. Needing a swing in momentum down 6-5, the Hens found it in the form of a five-point streak as Dennehy fired a pair of aces while Bonk added a kill and block to grab a 10-6 advantage.

The run seemed to break the Rams as they could never quite recover. Although VCU pulled within three, Delaware never allowed its opponent to regain its footing. Still trailing by four at 14-10, the Rams could do little but watch as the Hens ripped off four-straight points, including two more kills by Dennehy, to grab a convincing 18-10 lead.

Delaware kept that same edge until the team grabbed set-point at 24-16. On the verge of a spot in the finals, the Hens fittingly turned to Dennehy again as the sophomore standout blasted the clinching kill to seal the match with a 25-16 victory in the fourth frame.

Along with her offensive efforts, Dennehy rounded out her day with eight digs. Steph Barry led the way in that category, posting a match-high 20 for the Hens. Stewart also chipped in with 14, while Gibboney had 10.

VCU was led by Jessica Ojukwu, who had 11 kills and 10 digs. Elisa Kuehnel also had 10 kills, while Ariel Newman added nine.

With the victory, Delaware has now beaten every team in the CAA this season. Entering the tournament, the squad had been 0-4 against Towson and VCU but quickly avenged its regular-season setbacks with victories against both squads in the playoffs. It is the first time since joining the CAA that the Hens have picked up a win against every conference foe.