Boxscore

NEWARK, Del. – For the second straight night, the University of Delaware volleyball team dropped a Colonial Athletic Association match at home as the Blue Hens fell to Virginia Commonwealth, 3-1 (18-25, 11-25, 25-20, 19-25), on Saturday night at Viera Court.

Elisa Kuehnel blasted 15 kills to lead a strong offensive effort by the Rams (10-6, 2-1 CAA), who hit a combined .262 during the match. Mariel Frey also had 10 kills, while Ivana Rich and Jessica Ojukwu rounded out a well-balanced attack with eight kills apiece.

Paige Erickson (at right) had a strong day for the Blue Hens (6-12, 2-2) after posting seven kills, three aces, and three blocks. Steph Barry continued her excellent junior campaign as well, posting a match-high 25 digs.

Following last night’s 3-2 loss to William & Mary, Delaware has now dropped back-to-back conference matches at home for the first time since 2005. That year, the team lost to Virginia Commonwealth, William & Mary, and Towson during consecutive matches in Newark.

Early on in Saturday’s match, VCU looked strong. Following a 2-2 tie, the Rams took nine of the next 10 rallies, including back-to-back aces by Lenka Melicharkova. Up by eight at 11-3, the visitors eventually stretched their advantage to 10 at 17-7 following Delaware’s second timeout of the set.

Staring at a large deficit just one day after suffering a tough loss to the Tribe, the Blue Hens showed heart in the middle of the set and refused to go down quietly. Delaware ran off five straight points, highlighted by a kill and block by Elena DelleDonne as well as an ace from Jess Chason.

Still on the attack, the Hens eventually used three straight kills by DelleDonne, Erickson, and Katie Dennehy to pull within two at 19-17. Unfortunately, the Rams answered Delaware’s late resurgence and took the final five points to post a 25-18 victory.

Virginia Commonwealth proved to be equally as quick out of the gate in the second set, grabbing another 11-3 lead following two aces by Ariel Newman. This time, though, Delaware never quite regrouped. After a kill by Kim Stewart snapped VCU’s streak, the Rams pieced together another three-point run that gave the team a 14-4 lead.

Although the Blue Hens did get back-to-back kills by Stewart and Meghan Bonk in the middle of the frame, they could never orchestrate a sustained run. Eventually, a block by Jessica Ojukwu and Kelsie Clegg clinched the set for the Rams at 25-11.

Refusing to go down in three, Delaware battled hard in the beginning of the third frame, taking a 9-8 lead following a pair of early kills by both Dennehy and DelleDonne. Despite a four-point run by the Rams that saw Elisa Kuehnel post three straight kills, the Hens never backed down. They answered with their own four-point roll to retake the lead at 13-12.

After VCU broke the streak, Delaware went on a second four-point roll that included three straight blocks and an Erickson ace. Now up by five at 18-13, the Hens eventually went on to win by the same margin after an ace by Greta Gibboney sealed the set at 25-20.

With newfound life, Delaware took an early three-point lead at 5-2 in the fourth frame after the team posted four early kills followed by another Erickson ace. Still holding a two-point advantage at 7-5, the Hens saw the game slowly slip away after the Rams captured five straight points to pull ahead at 10-7.

Although a VCU error and a kill by Chason pulled the Hens back within one at 10-9, the Rams quickly put the set out of reach with a seven-point string to take an overwhelming lead at 17-9. Virginia Commonwealth eventually pulled ahead by nine at 23-14 before Delaware used a last-ditch effort to post a comeback.

A DelleDonne block, a kill by Bonk, and three VCU errors helped the Hens pull back within five at 24-19. Despite the late surge, the deficit was too much to overcome as a block by Kelsie Clegg and Mariel Frey gave the Rams a 3-1 win with a 25-19 victory in the fourth frame.

Virginia Commonwealth finished the day with 11 total blocks, including six by Ivana Rich. Ariel Newman also had three aces, while Laryssa Goncalves led the way with 16 digs for the Rams.

The Blue Hen attack was paced by DelleDonne, Dennehy, and Stewart, who all recorded eight kills during the contest. Chason also had a match-high 28 assists to go along with seven digs and two aces.

Delaware will return to action on Wednesday when the team continues its home stand by hosting the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore at 7 p.m.