Tribe Falls to Delaware, 3-2, in Hard-Fought Match

Abbi Owens leads W&M with 18 kills

11/10/06 11:00PM

NEWARK, Del. - The William and Mary volleyball team fell to Delaware, 3-2 (30-26, 31-29, 28-30, 22-30, 18-16), in a hard-fought match on Friday night in Newark, Del.

Individually, the Tribe (10-15, 6-11) was led by sophomore Abbi Owens who recorded a team-high 18 kills. Sophomore Molly Bohman contributed 15 put-aways, while freshman Katie McCarney totaled 13 kills on .684 (13-0-9) hitting. Sophomore Kim Mount dished out a career-high 71 assists, while senior Kathleen Hawley contributed 32 digs.

While the College fell behind 8-3 early in the opening game, it rallied back and knotted the score at 10. The Green and Gold briefly took a two-point lead, 15-13, following a kill by freshman Bryana Carey, but the Blue Hens quickly fought back to even the score at 19. With the Tribe trailing by just one, 27-26, UD closed out the game by tallying the final three points.

Unlike the initial stanza, the Tribe jumped out to an early 8-3 lead in the second frame. However, like W&M did in the prior set, Delaware fought back and tied the score at 15. Neither team was able take more than a three-point lead the rest of the way. With the score even at 29, UD earned the final two points.

Neither team was able to take a significant lead through much of the third game. However, the Tribe broke open a one-point game with a 7-3 run, punctuated by a Bohman kill, to go ahead by five. The Blue Hens clawed back and knotted the score at 28, but W&M held on to take the game.

While the first three games were tightly contested, that was not the case for much of the fourth frame. The College scored the set’s first five points, but the Blue Hens came back and knotted the count at six. However, the Tribe pulled ahead and built a seven-point lead, 19-12, after a Bohman put-away. The Blue Hens got no closer than six the rest of the way, as the Tribe claimed the eight-point win.

In the fifth and deciding game, both teams battled hard and found themselves tied at nine. UD then went on a 3-0 run, but the Tribe responded with a 4-1 spurt, as the teams were even at 13. Shortly thereafter, the Green and Gold held a one-point edge, 16-15, but Delaware rattled off three unanswered points to take the set and the match.

The Tribe will close out the season with a match at Towson on Saturday at 5 p.m.

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