Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

Boxscore

TOWSON, Md. - Kim Stewart and Michelle LaLonde both posted nine kills to help lead the University of Delaware volleyball team to a 3-0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-17) victory over Colonial Athletic Association foe Towson on Friday night.

Stewart (at right) added three aces and seven digs for Delaware (9-5, 3-0 CAA), while Greta Gibboney blasted three aces as well. LaLonde also finished the night with a team-best .389 hitting percentage after firing her nine kills on only 18 swings.

For the Hens, it marked the team’s third consecutive 3-0 victory after also blanking CAA rivals George Mason and James Madison last week. It is the first time since 2007 that the squad blanked three straight league opponents.

After the two teams found themselves dead-locked at three in the opening frame, Delaware took off. The squad captured four straight rallies, aided by back-to-back shots from Alissa Alker, to grab a 7-3 lead heading into a Towson timeout.

Following the break, the Hens remained on a roll. A pair of aces by Gibboney and Stewart along with four kills from LaLonde highlighted an incredible mid-set surge that saw Delaware grab a commanding 19-6 lead. With a 13-point advantage and the momentum on the Hens’ side, the squad eventually cruised to 25-15 victory capped by another Gibboney ace.

The second set was much more evenly matched. Although Delaware took an 8-4 advantage helped by an ace from Kelly Gibson and two kills by Stewart, Towson eventually fought back to knot the frame with four straight winners. Still tied at 15 apiece, the Hens slowly began to pull away.

A LaLonde kill and Stewart ace broke the tie and led to a Towson timeout. After LaLonde came back with another blast followed nicely by an imposing block, Delaware took a 20-16 lead. Later, a pair of blocks and a kill by Paige Erickson allowed the Hens to walk away with a 25-19 victory in the second frame.

Similar to the middle set, the final stanza was a back-and-forth affair in the beginning. A pair of early kills by Dennehy and an ace from Barry were matched by a kill and block by Taylor Hawkins and an ace from Katee Luecke. Eventually, the two teams found themselves knotted at 10.

The local rivals continued to trade blows throughout much of the set until Delaware landed the knock-out after a 16-16 draw. After that rally, Stewart blasted two kills and Dennehy and Erickson each tallied one apiece to give the squad a four-point advantage. Following a Blue Hen miscue, Dennehy fired two more shots and Alker added one to give the team a 23-17 lead heading into a Tiger timeout.

After the break, Delaware needed little time to put the match away as Jess Chason fired an ace before Dennehy and Erickson teamed up for the game-winning block to seal a 25-17 victory in the final frame.

Dennehy finished the contest with seven kills, while Erickson had five to go along with a match-high five blocks. Chason also added 28 assists, while Barry posted 13 digs.

Towson (8-10, 1-2) was led by Alysha Fanning, who had eight kills and a .294 hitting percentage. Missy Rorhbaugh also had 17 digs for the Tigers.

Delaware will return to action next Tuesday when the team travels to Main Line rival Villanova for a 7 p.m. match.