Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

Boxscore

BOSTON, Mass. - In the squad’s first trip back to the site of its 2008 Colonial Athletic Association championship, the University of Delaware volleyball team was in top form against Northeastern as the Blue Hens swept the Huskies, 3-0 (25-18, 25-16, 25-15) on Friday evening at Solomon Court.

Michelle LaLonde pieced together her finest match of the season, ripping 11 kills while posting an incredible .688 hitting percentage. She also posted nine blocks, which not only tied her career-high but also equaled the most by a Blue Hen since the 2007 season.

With the victory, Delaware (18-7, 11-2) keeps pace with Virginia Commonwealth for the top spot in the conference. Both the Hens and Rams, who defeated Georgia State, 3-0, on Friday evening, are tied at the top of the CAA standings with one match remaining before the conference tournament begins next weekend.

In the first set against Northeastern (14-12, 7-6), Kim Stewart filled up the stat sheet early, posting a kill, block, assist, and ace on the way to a 6-4 lead. After that point, LaLonde recorded a pair of blocks and two kills, while Stephanie Barry and Paige Erickson each ripped aces to give the team a comfortable 15-9 advantage.

Northeastern rallied back momentarily, taking four of the next five battles to pull within three at 16-13. LaLonde refused to back down, however, as the senior captain ripped three kills, including back-to-back blasts, to recapture a six-point lead at 22-16 heading into a timeout.

The Blue Hens remained hot even after the stoppage as Stewart smashed a pair of kills to give the team set-point before Alissa Alker ripped the winner to clinch a 25-18 victory.

With a one-set lead, the squad refused to rest on its laurels as Delaware swept the first nine rallies in the second frame. LaLonde once again led the charge, posting a kill and three blocks. Jess Chason also launched three aces, including consecutive winners to cap the nine-point streak.

Holding a convincing advantage, Delaware saw Northeastern pull back within five on a handful of occasions, but the team’s lead was never truly in doubt. Katie Dennehy eventually tallied two kills, while LaLonde fired three more as the team regained its nine-point lead at 21-12 heading into a Northeastern timeout.

In control once again, the Blue Hens eased into a 25-16 victory. Dennehy ripped three late kills and the team benefited from an NU miscue to take a two-set lead.

With a sweep in sight, Delaware remained on-point. Following a deadlock at 5-5 in the third, Dennehy helped take control of the set. The junior standout launched back-to-back kills before teaming with LaLonde on a block to give UD a 9-5 lead.

Despite another block and blast by LaLonde as well as Chason’s fourth ace of the contest, Northeastern kept it close. The Huskies whittled their deficit down to three at 13-10, which eventually led to a Blue Hen timeout.

With the set briefly in doubt, Delaware regrouped. Dennehy and Stewart each posted a pair of kills, while Alker added a single smash to help the team grab a six-point lead at 20-14.

Following a Northeastern stoppage, the Hens remained in command. An ace by Greta Gibboney along with kills by Chason and LaLonde helped give the team match-point at 24-15. Stewart wasted no time putting the contest away, firing a kill on the next rally to clinch the three-set sweep.

Stewart finished with eight kills and four blocks, while Dennehy had 11 kills. Chason also tallied 30 assists and four aces, while Barry had a match-high 18 digs.

Northeastern was led by Jessica Tkachuk, who had 14 assists, eight kills, and seven digs. Britney Brown also had 11 assists and seven kills for the Huskies.

Delaware will return to action on Sunday when the team wraps up its regular season slate with a 1 p.m. match-up at Hofstra.