Wilkes Women's Volleyball Remains Hot, Sweeps Delaware Valley Tri-Match
DOYLESTOWN, Pa. – The Wilkes University women's volleyball team extended their unbeaten run to four games on Saturday afternoon, as the Colonels swept their first tri-match of the season hosted by Delaware Valley.
Wilkes defeated the hosts 3-1 in the day's first game and finished with a sweep of Cedar Crest College to move to 4-0 under new head coach
Zach Shay '24.
Game 1: Wilkes 3, Delaware Valley 1
After falling behind the Aggies 23-18 in the first set of the day, the Colonels stormed back with a seven-point rally to take the set behind a quartet of kills from
Mia Leon (Ponce, PR/Caribbean) and the dagger from
Kendra Kalp (Somerset, PA/Rockwood).
The Colonels once again fought from behind to win set two, fighting back from a 24-22 deficit with a four-point run to win in extra points 26-24. A kill by
Emilee Atherholt (Coudersport, PA/Coudersport) and an ace by
Annalyse Santowasso (Middlesex, NJ/Rutgers Prep) sandwiched two Aggie service errors to put the navy and gold one set away from their first victory of the day.
A sweep wasn't in the cards for this game, however, as a late DelVal run secured the third set for the hosts 25-21. Wilkes got the job done in the next set, as a four-point run gave the team an 18-15 lead they would not relinquish, outscoring the Aggies 7-4 to clinch the day's first win.
Leon was all over the floor for the Colonels in this game, leading the team with 19 kills and sharing team-highs in blocks and aces with three each.
Maddy Durfee (Attica, NY/Attica) led the team with 19 assists, while also providing double-digit digs with 13, tied for the most with Kalp.
Game 2: Wilkes 3, Cedar Crest 0
The Colonels dominated their second game of the day, only conceding the lead to the Falcons on the game's opening point. Wilkes had four separate runs of four points in the first set to help take a 25-17 victory.
Tied at four points each in the second set, Wilkes went on an 8-1 scoring run to take a 12-5 lead. The Colonels led by as many as eight points in the set but the Falcons did not quit, as they took an 18-10 deficit and cut it down to three points, but a service error and an ace by Leon saw the Colonels take the second set 25-19.
From there it was academic, as Wilkes held firm control of the third set and cruised to a 25-7 set win to seal the victory. The Colonels outscored the Falcons 10-1 over the match's final 11 points to ensure their record remained perfect.
Leon was once again the dominant force for the Colonels, leading the team in kills (9), aces (2), and digs (13). First year
Leah Nagle (Orefield, PA/Northwestern Lehigh) saw her first playing time of the season in this game, matching Leon with two aces and adding 10 digs, the second-most on the team.
Rachael Anderson (Canmore, AB/West Island College) led the team with 11 assists.
After three road contests, the Colonels return home to face Keystone College on Tuesday, September 8 at 7:00 p.m.
