Boxscore

TOWSON, Md. -- The University of Delaware volleyball team fell to the Towson Tigers, 3-0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-16), during a Colonial Athletic Association bout in the Blue Hens’ regular season finale at the Towson Center on Saturday night.

Kim Stewart (at right) posted a match-high 11 kills for the Blue Hens, but the squad hit just .037 as it ended the regular season with a 16-15 record, including a 9-5 mark in conference play.

Jess Chason also added 21 assists during the match. With her performance, she improved her season total to 1,001, becoming just the second sophomore in school history to reach the 1,000-assist plateau.

The Tigers were on their game from the start, jumping out to a quick 12-5 lead in the first frame despite an early ace from Greta Gibboney. The large deficit proved to be insurmountable for Delaware as the team could only pull within five at 20-15 following two late kills by Paige Erickson. Eventually, another late Towson rally gave the hosts a commanding 25-17 victory.

Refusing to go down quietly, Delaware came back strong in the second frame. Led by two kills from Stewart and another Gibboney ace, the Hens stormed out to an 11-5 lead following Towson’s first timeout. Unfortunately, the Tigers clawed their way back into the set. Following four blocks by Susan Gansor and a Lindsey Neighbors ace, Towson grabbed a 14-11 advantage.

Although a Stewart kill snapped the Towson roll, the Tigers remained hot. Following back-to-back kills by Valerie Chromy, Delaware called a timeout trailing by six at 20-14.

The Hens did whittle their deficit down to three following two straight blasts from Stewart, but Towson won two of the last three rallies to stake a 25-22 victory in the second set.

Trailing by two sets, Delaware stumbled out of the blocks following the mid-match break. Falling behind by five at 8-3 in the third frame, the Hens eventually capitalized on two Tiger miscues and a kill by Erickson to pull within three at 9-6.

Despite the short resurgence, Towson immediately responded, winning 10 of the next 11 rallies to grab a convincing 19-7 lead. Although Delaware won three straight, including an ace from Helen Fitzpatrick, the team still found themselves trailing by eight at 21-13.

Two late kills by Stewart helped the Hens pull back within six, but Towson eventually won the last three rallies, capped by an ace from Ally Perko, to take the set, 25-16.

Perko eventually finished with 10 kills and 16 digs for Towson (19-11, 8-6 CAA). Gansor also added seven of the team’s 10 blocks.

Katie Dennehy had 12 digs and six kills for the Hens, while Steph Barry chipped in with a team-high 16 digs. Paige Erickson, who was celebrating her 20th birthday, added four kills and two blocks.

The Blue Hens were without freshman middle hitter Janeen McCormick, who missed the contest after her father passed away early this morning. The heartfelt condolences of the entire Delaware community go out to the McCormick family.

Delaware will continue action next week in the CAA Tournament. Despite the loss, the Blue Hens have earned the No. 3 seed after Hofstra defeated William & Mary, 3-2, tonight in Hempstead. The No. 1 seed and host will be determined by the outcome of tomorrow’s Northeastern – Virginia Commonwealth match.