Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

UD - Indiana Boxscore

UD - Missouri State Boxscore

ATHENS, Ohio - All-American libero Steph Barry set a new program record for career digs, but the University of Delaware volleyball team could not capitalize on her record-setting performance as the Blue Hens dropped a pair of 3-1 decisions to Indiana and Missouri State during the opening day of the Holiday Inn Classic hosted by Ohio University on Friday.

Barry (at right) posted a team-high 40 digs during the day, boosting her career total to 1,936. She is now the first player in program history to eclipse the 1,900-dig plateau, breaking Karen Beegle's high mark set from 1988-91.

Along with Barry's defensive performance, the Blue Hens received a nice offensive effort from Katie Dennehy and Alissa Alker. Dennehy fired a team-high 31 kills during the two matches, while Alker chipped in with 21.

In the early going of the first set, the Blue Hens (4-4) jumped out to a big lead. Three blasts from Alker highlighted the surge as the squad grabbed a 9-3 advantage heading into an Indiana timeout. Unfortunately, the break in action broke Delaware’s momentum. Slowly, the Hoosiers began to chip away at their deficit, eventually ripping off a four-point run in the middle of the set to pull even at 13.

The set remained closely contested as Alker and Michelle LaLonde added kills, while Dennehy and Jess Chason teamed up for a block. Despite the Blue Hens’ best efforts, though, Indiana matched them shot-for-shot. Finally, following a Delaware timeout, the Hoosiers pulled away with three straight winners to capture a 25-21 opening-set victory.

The squads remained close in the second set after battling to a 5-5 tie. Still tight at 9-8, Indiana built upon its lead with a 5-1 run that led to a Blue Hen timeout. Although Barry and Greta Gibboney both slammed aces and LaLonde stuffed two straight thunder smashes by the Hoosier attack, Delaware still trailed by four at 19-15.

Following another timeout, Indiana put the set away. A Caitlin Cox ace and a kill by Kelci Marschall eventually iced a 25-17 victory.

The Blue Hens came out fired up in the third set, refusing to go down without a fight. A block by Chason and LaLonde set the tone early before kills by Stewart and Chason helped give the squad a 4-0 advantage. Later, Indiana answered with its own run, grabbing six straight rallies to take a 7-5 lead.

Despite a slight shift in momentum, Delaware answered with a vengeance. Kills by Alker and Dennehy along with a block by Stewart allowed the team to retie the frame at 10. Although Indiana pulled away, taking a 17-12 lead, the Hens showed true grit and came back again.

Led by a pair of kills by Erickson, four Indiana miscues, and a block and blast from Dennehy, the Hens erased their deficit and pulled even at 21. Another kill by Dennehy and two errors by the Hoosiers gave Delaware set point. Kelly Gibson took over from there, clinching a 25-22 victory with a blistering ace.

Unfortunately, the momentum was short-lived. Indiana got off to a great start in the fourth, clinching an early 12-6 lead. Three kills by Dennehy, along with a shot and block from Alker, helped the Hens pull to within five at 20-15. Unfortunately, despite another flurry of kills by Dennehy, Indiana refused to lose, grabbing a 25-20 victory to clinch a four-set victory.

Dennehy finished the match with 15 kills, nine digs, and five blocks, while Alker had 12 blasts. Chason also chipped in with 30 assists, while Barry had 21 digs.

Indiana (6-2) was led by Ashley Benson, who posted 19 kills and six blocks. Jordan Haverly also had 15 kills to go along with 12 digs, while Mary Chaudoin notched a match-high 42 assists.

Following a mid-day break in action for the Hens, the squad returned to the court to battle Missouri State in the second half of their doubleheader. In the beginning, kills by Alker, Paige Erickson, and Kim Stewart kept Delaware close, but Missouri State eventually took control of the set.

Following an impressive 10-3 run, the Bears secured a double-digit lead at 16-6. However, another kill by Alker and three slams by Stewart kept Delaware alive. Eventually, following a LaLonde kill, the Hens pulled back to within three at 15-12. That was as close as the team would come, though, as Delaware managed only a kill by Dennehy and an ace by Erickson in the waning moments of the set on the way to a 25-14 setback.

The Bears continued their hot streak in the second as the team grabbed a 9-2 advantage right out of the chute. Kills by Dennehy and Erickson momentarily halted the run, but Missouri State regained its footing and used a six-point roll to grab a commanding 17-5 edge.

Unfazed by their daunting deficit, the Hens battled to the end. Following a timeout, Stewart blasted a kill, Erickson ripped two aces, and LaLonde stuffed a power smash to pull Delaware to within eight. Another run, highlighted by a kill from Dennehy and a Logan Sebastian block, brought the team back to within four at 19-15.

Although the run was stymied by a Bear kill, LaLonde came back with another block, and following two more Missouri State miscues, the Hens trailed by just one at 20-19.

A late Dennehy kill kept the deficit at one, but the squad could never quite get over the hump. The Bears ended the set on a five-point roll to grab a two-set lead with a 25-20 victory.

Similar to the first contest of the day, the Blue Hens looked strong in the third set following the mid-match break. The two squads went back-and-forth in the beginning. After a three-point roll by Missouri State, Delaware took the next four rallies highlighted by a block and kill by Alker. Later, a kill and block by Erickson, followed immediately by a Dennehy ace, allowed the Hens to take a 12-9 lead.

LaLonde helped push the edge to five following a kill and block, and although the Bears pulled close after a trio of shots by Addie Foley, the set was never really in doubt after that point. Four late kills by Dennehy helped the squad pull ahead, 23-19, before back-to-back aces by Gibson sealed a 25-19 victory for Delaware.

In the fourth frame, Missouri State got off to a nice start, pulling ahead by four at 9-5. Delaware eventually whittled its deficit down to one at 11-10 following two blocks from Alker and Erickson. The squad held the Bears close throughout the middle of the set, and finally, after two straight kills by Dennehy and Gibson, the Hens pulled even at 16.

Hoping to send the match to a fifth set, Delaware held tough. Dennehy eventually added two more shots to keep the set deadlocked at 20 before Missouri State hit another streak. Three straight kills by the Bears gave the squad a 23-20 lead, and after Alker broke the momentum with a smash of her own, a pair of Blue Hen miscues sealed the set and match for MSU.

Dennehy finished the contest with 16 kills, while Alker chipped in with nine. Erickson also had a well-rounded nightcap, posting five kills, five blocks, and three aces.

Missouri State was led by Addie Foley, who had 13 kills and 11 digs. Calli Norman also tallied 11 kills, while Kelley Michnowicz chipped in with 10.