Photos Courtesy of Mark Campbell

Boxscore

RICHMOND, Va. - The University of Delaware volleyball team’s quest for a third consecutive Colonial Athletic Association title came up short as the No. 2 seeded Blue Hens fell to the No. 3 George Mason Patriots, 3-2 (25-23, 23-25, 20-25, 25-21, 15-7), in the semifinals of the conference playoffs on Monday evening at the Siegel Center on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University.

Although the team’s pursuit of a third title was prematurely ended by George Mason, Delaware (19-8) still showed the determination of a defending champion throughout the match. From a huge rally in the second set to a dominating performance in the third, the team never lost focus of its goal at any point during the competition.

After overcoming an early one-set deficit and battling to a 2-2 deadlock, the Blue Hens found themselves entering a decisive fifth set for the ninth time this season. Unfortunately, the final frame did not play out in Delaware’s favor.

In the fifth, George Mason (22-8) hit its stride early. The squad took the first three rallies, and despite a pair of Patriot miscues, GMU eventually secured a commanding 8-2 advantage.

Facing a seemingly insurmountable deficit, Delaware picked up a kill by Kim Stewart to pull within five. Sadly, the Patriots remained unfazed. The team steamed ahead and reeled off four straight points to take a 12-3 lead.

Down nine, UD attempted to piece together a comeback bid. A Patriot error, a block and blast by Alissa Alker, and a shot from Stewart pulled Delaware within six at 13-7 heading into a Mason timeout. Unfortunately, the stoppage paid off. A kill by Laura Turner gave GMU match-point before a Blue Hen miscue clinched a five-set victory for the Patriots.

Holly Goode, the CAA Player of the Year, had a strong performance during the bout. She led all performers with 20 kills and added seven blocks, while Rebecca Walker had 18 kills and 14 digs for the Patriots.

Katie Dennehy (above right) helped lead the Blue Hen effort, posting a team-high 16 kills. Stephanie Barry (below right) also had 29 digs for Delaware, while Stewart had 14 kills and 13 digs.

Early on in the contest, the Patriots seemed just as confident as they were at the end of the match. Although the Blue Hens had swept nine straight sets against the Patriots, including a pair of 3-0 victories this year, the team could not take control of the match in the early going.

After UD took a modest 5-4 lead, aided by a Stewart ace and back-to-back kills by Alker and Paige Erickson, UD started to fall back.

Mason grabbed five of the next seven rallies despite a pair of blasts by Dennehy. With a three-point lead at 10-7, the Patriots never backed down. Although the Hens pulled within one after a Stewart kill and a block by Alker and Michelle LaLonde, the team could never overcome its deficit.

The squad continued to battle hard throughout the frame, and despite falling behind by as many as five, UD fought back to within one at 22-21. An ace by Kelly Gibson and a pair of kills from Stewart and Alker led the late-set surge. Unfortunately, the team’s efforts fell just short. After holding the one-point deficit until 24-23, Delaware could not stop a Holly Goode kill that clinched an opening set victory for Mason on the very next rally.

Trailing by one set, the Blue Hens regrouped in the early part of the second frame. The squad took three of the first four rallies, including back-to-back blocks by Dennehy and LaLonde. Despite the strong effort in the beginning, the early momentum began to wear off.

George Mason rallied to take a 6-5 lead and never trailed in the middle of the set as the team built a five-point advantage at 15-10. With the squad slowly losing a grasp on the set and match, Delaware called a timeout. Although the stoppage did not pay immediate dividends, it served its purpose in the long run.

Still trailing by five at 18-13, Delaware made an incredible run to close out the frame. The squad took the next seven rallies, highlighted by back-to-back aces by Gibson, two kills by Dennehy, and a block and blast from Erickson, to take a 20-19 lead.

Although the two teams traded blows in the waning moments of the frame, the Hens never lost their stride. A Stewart kill gave the squad set-point at 24-22, and after Mason held off the inevitable for one rally, Delaware’s sensational sophomore came back to ice the set with another blast.

With the match knotted at one, Delaware came out on fire in the third. Following an early kill by the Patriots, Dennehy stepped up and dominated. The junior standout ripped five kills and teamed with LaLonde on a block to give the squad a 6-1 lead.

Later, after grabbing a 9-3 advantage, the team took off again. Behind two kills each from Alker and Stewart along with a Jess Chason ace, the team pieced together another six-point roll to grab an incredible 15-3 lead.

Although Mason answered with a five-point streak, the set never seemed to be in-doubt. Three late kills by LaLonde and a huge solo block by Erickson gave the Hens set-point at 24-18. Three rallies later, a Patriot error clinched a 25-20 victory for the Hens.

Trailing by a set, the Patriots refused to go down quietly. Although UD took the first two rallies, including one that was set up by a phenomenal play by both Chason and Erickson to save an errant ricochet destined for the sidelines, GMU came back.

Mason rallied to take a 6-3 lead and held an advantage until Delaware rolled off four points in a row, including consecutive blocks by Erickson, to snatch a 9-7 edge.

The Blue Hens held their two-point advantage until 15-13 when the Patriots found new life. The team took five of the next six battles to retake an 18-16 lead heading into a UD timeout. Although Erickson fired a kill coming out of the break, Mason regained control. Eventually, the squad closed out the frame on a 7-4 run to send the game into the fateful fifth frame.

Despite the loss, Delaware still was the only team from the CAA to advance to the tournament during each of the last four seasons. The squad made it to the semifinals in each, highlighted by its back-to-back titles in 2007 and 2008.

Delaware benefited from five double-digit dig performances during the match. Along with Barry and Stewart, Chason chipped in with a career-high 21 to go along with 55 assists. Gibson also had 13 in the match, while Greta Gibboney rounded out the defensive stalwarts with 11.

Erickson also had a nice day along the net, posting six blocks to go along with eight digs and seven kills. Stewart also had 14 kills for the Hens, while Alker added 12.

Although Monday’s setback ends the squad’s CAA Championship hopes, the team will return to action for two more matches later this week. Delaware will battle Liberty on Friday and Pittsburgh on Saturday during VCU’s Thanksgiving Tournament.