Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

NEWARK, Del. – After splitting two matches over the weekend, the University of Delaware volleyball team moved up in the national Ratings Percentage Index and the regional RichKern.com/American Volleyball Coaches Association polls.

Heading into the final two weeks of the regular season, the Blue Hens are ranked 53rd in the RPI and sixth in the Eastern regional rankings. Delaware (16-7) is the highest ranked team from the Colonial Athletic Association in both polls.

Last weekend, the squad dropped a tough 3-2 decision to Virginia Commonwealth on Friday evening before rebounding to knock off William & Mary in a thrilling five-set match on Saturday. With the split, the Blue Hens remain in first-place in the CAA standings with a 9-2 mark.

In conference action, Delaware leads the CAA with 76 aces and has held its opponents to a league-low .122 hitting percentage. The powerful Blue Hen offense has also posted a .202 attack percentage, which stands as the second-highest mark in the conference.

On an individual level, Jess Chason stands atop the conference with a 10.01 assists-per-set average. Steph Barry ranks second in the CAA with a 4.81 digs-per-set mark, while Katie Dennehy and Kelly Gibson are fifth in points and aces, respectively.

Michelle LaLonde and Paige Erickson have also held their own along the net as the two middle blockers have helped the team post a 1.96 blocks-per-set average during CAA bouts. LaLonde leads the team with 73 blocks, and Erickson ranks seventh in the league with a 0.83 blocks-per-set average in conference action.

In the national RPI, Texas was the highest-ranked team for the third straight week. Penn State placed second, while Florida State, Illinois, and Washington rounded out the top-five.

In the regional poll, the Seminoles retained the top spot and were closely followed by fellow Atlantic Coast Conference members Duke, Miami (FL), North Carolina, and Georgia Tech.

Delaware will return to action on Friday when the team hosts Towson in the squad’s home finale at the Bob Carpenter Center at 7 p.m.

AGATE:

2009 RichKern.com/AVCA Regional Rankings - East Division (November 3): 1. Florida State; 2. Duke; 3. Miami (FL); 4. North Carolina; 5. Georgia Tech; 6. Delaware; 7. Virginia Tech; 8. Clemson; 9. George Mason; 10. VCU; 11. Virginia; 12. Winthrop; 13. Liberty; 14. Wake Forest; 15. William & Mary; 16. Coastal Carolina; 17. Northeastern; 18. UMES; 19. Boston College; 20. Florida A&M.