Delaware Blue Hens all set to clash with American Eagles – Volleyball latest
Following the completion of the regular season of volleyball, the much awaited NCAA Championship action got underway on Thursday, December 1. A few of the matches were played on the opening day, while the championship will enter the second day on December
2 as Delaware Blue Hens are set to take on American University in the first round matches today, Dec. 2. The match will be hosted by Penn State University, where the Blue Hens will be vying to advance in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007.
This is going to be Blue Hens’ fourth appearance at the NCAA Tournament. Previously, they took part in the competition in 2007, 2008, and 2010. They compiled a record of 1-3 in the last three appearances. They picked up a lone win over Princeton University
in the opening round of 2007 NCAA Championship, which was held at St. John’s.
In 2008, they dropped a straight set decision to No. 7 Oregon at American, and again fell 3-0 to Virginia Tech in 2010 at Penn State. Once again they have the chance to prove their endeavours and advance to the second round of championship by downing American
Eagles.
How did they qualify for NCAA?
The Blue Hens got hold of the Colonial Athletic Association automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament by coming back to defeat James Madison and VCU in the CAA Tournament.
In the semi-final match of the CAA Tournament against the fifth seeded JMU, Delaware battled back from 2-0 and 17-12 in the third set. The Blue Hens put up a valiant effort and bounced back in the game. Eventually, they posted a win over James Madison and
qualified for the final.
In the final showdown against VCU the following night, Delaware climbed out of a 2-1 hole. The Blue Hens had the competitive edge of playing on home court, which enabled them to make a quick move to cover the deficit. They came out of their slump and managed
to dismiss resilient VCU. Blue Hens settled for top position in the CAA Tournament and reserved a berth in the NCAA Championship for the fourth time in the schools history.
Team line-up
The Blue Hens’ roster contains experienced players, who have proved their endeavours in the recently ended season. Senior co-captain Kim Stewart has excellent record. She is an extra-ordinary hitter, who was named the Most Outstanding Performer at the CAA
Championship. She will surely serve as the top attacker for Blue Hens.
Equally talented Junior outside hitter, Alissa Alker, is another smart player included in the roster of the Blue Hens. She was recently named to the CAA All-Tournament Team after posting 30 kills, 26 digs, 10 blocks, three aces and a team-high 38.5 points
in the two matches.
Likewise, the setter Renee Tomko, Katie, Tomko, libero Cara Rosehill, and Karine Evans will be fighting for the Blue Hens. With such strong team-line, Blue Hens are tipped to win the match against American University.
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