Photo Courtesy of Niki DeSantis

Boxscore

BOSTON, Mass. - Behind an incredibly gutsy performance and a never-say-die attitude, the University of Delaware volleyball team pulled off a thrilling 3-2 (25-21, 20-25, 28-30, 25-11, 15-13) victory over Northeastern in the Colonial Athletic Association title bout at Solomon Court on Sunday night.

Sophomore setter Jess Chason earned Most Outstanding Performer accolades after piecing together an amazing performance that guided Delaware (19-15) to the win. She led the Blue Hens with a career-high 59 assists and added 16 digs, three kills, and an ace to round out a phenomenal night.

Katie Dennehy and Steph Barry also provided outstanding performances, both making the All-Championship team. Dennehy set a season-high with 21 kills, while Barry added a match-high 25 digs and an ace.

With the victory, the Blue Hens advance to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season. Delaware is the first squad to repeat as CAA champions since George Mason won in 2002 and 2003.

“I’ve never been more proud of a team,” said head coach Bonnie Kenny. “Every bit of this, they deserved. They could have folded the tent a long time ago, but they just believed and kept training hard and knew they weren’t far off. It says a lot about the type of kids in our program.”

In such a close match, it seemed perfectly fitting that the contest went to a fifth frame. In the final set, the teams found themselves dead-locked at six before Delaware slowly pulled away. A kill and ace by Kim Stewart on back-to-back plays helped the Hens separate from the Huskies, before a four-point run buoyed by kills from Dennehy, Chason, and Elena Delle Donne, allowed the team to grab a 12-7 advantage.

Three points away from defeat, Northeastern battled hard. A late five-point run, capped by two kills from Lauren DeTurk, pulled the Huskies within one at 13-12. Delle Donne answered the rally, blasting a shot to give the Hens set-point at 14-12. Although Northeastern held the team off for one rally, Stewart came through again. The freshman phenom fired one of her patented lasers into the Husky defense that clinched the victory and sent the Delaware side into a full-out frenzy.

Stewart was one of four Hens to notch at least 10 kills, finishing with 16 to go along with 17 digs and three aces. Delle Donne also blasted 15 and added three blocks, while Paige Erickson had 11.

“We really work hard together and give each other confidence on the court,” said Chason. “This whole entire time, we had this feeling and this energy, and we kept it rolling from Towson until now. We just ran with it.”

Early on, the match was just as tight as the end. Following a 4-4 draw at the outset of the match, Delaware took off on a four-point streak, capped by three straight kills from Erickson, Bonk, and Stewart. Despite its deficit, Northeastern refused to allow the Hens to pull away any further, winning seven of the next 11 rallies to pull within one at 12-11.

Bonk and Delle Donne responded with back-to-back kills, and following a Northeastern point, the two freshmen teamed up to stuff a Husky attack. Two kills by Erickson extended the Hens’ lead to four at 17-13. The team held that advantage until 22-18 when the hosts grabbed two straight leading to a Delaware timeout.

The Hens responded with their own two-point streak, highlighted by a block from Delle Donne and Stewart, to grab set-point at 24-20. Although the Huskies held the team off for one rally, Delaware got a clutch kill from Erickson to grab the opening-set victory at 25-21.

The second set looked promising early for the Hens as the team pulled out to a 4-1 lead following two kills by Dennehy and an ace from Chason. Although Northeastern knotted the set after orchestrating a three-point streak, Delaware pieced together a response.

In the middle of the set, the Hens won eight of the next 13 rallies. Two kills by Erickson and a block from Chason and Delle Donne gave Delaware a three-point edge at 12-9. Unfortunately, the lead was short-lived as the Husky attack went on an overwhelming run, led by four kills and an ace from CAA Player of the Year Lauren DeTurk. Eventually, Northeastern found itself up by six at 20-14.

Facing a considerable deficit, Delaware showed its steadfast resolve and refused to break. Two kills by Stewart and an ace from Greta Gibboney helped the Hens pull within three, and following a kill and block by Erickson, Delaware chipped its deficit down to two at 22-20. Despite the late resurgence, however, the Hens could not quite complete the comeback as Northeastern won the final three rallies to even the match with a 25-20 victory in the second frame.

As they had all night, the Hens got off to a quick start after the mid-match break. Chason opened the third set in fine fashion, setting the tone early by battling above the net for a free ball. Eventually, the sophomore setter out-muscled the Northeastern defender, winning the fight and driving both the ball and Husky to the floor.

Eventually, the team pulled out to an 8-4 lead after an ace by Barry and kills by Stewart, Dell eDonne, and Erickson. As they continued to do, the Huskies answered, pulling even at 10 before jumping ahead by three at 16-13 following a trio of DeTurk kills.

Delaware responded in kind, winning three straight capped by a Stewart ace to retie the set at 16. The back-and-forth battle continued as Northeastern took a 22-20 advantage before the Hens knotted it two rallies later. The Huskies eventually earned their first set-point at 24-23, but Delaware continued to stymie the Northeastern attack.

Still holding their own, the Hens eventually won two straight rallies on a Husky error and a Stewart blast to earn their own set-point at 28-27. Unfortunately, Northeastern wrote the final chapter of the set, using a block, kill, and DeTurk ace to clinch a 30-28 victory.

With no margin for error facing a two-sets-to-one deficit, Delaware saw the closely-contested match carry right over into the fourth frame with the teams battling to four early ties with the final one coming at six. At that point, Delaware took off. Kills by Erickson, Stewart, and Dennehy kicked off a five-point run that was later capped by another sizzling ace from Gibboney.

Although a Sarah Stein kill snapped the streak, the momentum remained on the Blue Hen side. Delaware quickly put together another five-point roll, aided by three Dennehy kills and a Stewart service ace to grab a 16-7 advantage. With the imposing lead, the squad never let up. Dennehy came back with three more blasts, while Bonk added two others to help the team earn set-point at 24-11.

With the set on the line, the Hens turned to Stewart, and the freshman came through. Taking a beautiful pass from Chason, she fired a blast into the Northeastern defense to seal the 25-11 victory and send the game to the thrilling finish.

For Northeastern, Lauren DeTurk set a career-high with 28 kills in her final bout, while Britney Brown had a triple-double after recording 31 assists, 11 digs, and 10 kills. Brianna Seitz also had 12 digs and 10 kills for the Huskies.

“It was a good volleyball match,” said Kenny. “Northeastern did a great job hosting this event. They have a very good team, and we had to work hard and play good volleyball to win. Nobody played poorly. They struggled a little bit in the fourth game, but they challenged us and came back. I’m just really proud. This team, they earned it, and they deserved it. And I’m fired up.”

The Blue Hens will find out their NCAA opponent next Sunday when the national bracket will be revealed on ESPNU with the show tentatively beginning at 10 p.m.