Tribe Falls to Delaware, 3-1

11/08/07 10:00PM

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - The William and Mary volleyball team fell to Delaware, 3-1 (30-26, 25-30, 31-29, 30-28), on Thursday evening in Williamsburg. Despite the loss, the Tribe remains among the top six teams in the conference standings and can clinch a spot in the CAA Tournament with a win against Towson on Friday evening.

Junior Jill Nowadly led the Tribe (13-14, 7-6) with 30 digs, while freshman Erin Skipper registered a team-high 19 kills. Sophomores Lauren Powell and Jillian Brown also finished with double figures in kills, totaling 12 and 10, respectively. Junior Kim Mount registered a double-double with 52 assists and 17 digs, and freshman Ginny Bray tallied seven total blocks.

While the College fell behind by five points early in the initial game, it rallied back with a 6-1 run and knotted the score at 13-13 following a kill by Bray. Shortly thereafter, W&M went ahead by two, 20-18, but the Blue Hens responded with a 7-1 run. The Green and Gold narrowed the margin to one on two occasions, but UD scored four of the final five points to claim the set.

The Tribe broke open a 5-5 tie in the second frame with a 7-1 run that was punctuated with a service ace by Mount. Although the College extended its lead to as many as seven several times, Delaware gradually fought back and drew within two, 20-22. However, the Blue Hens were unable to get any closer as the Tribe closed out the set on a Skipper put-away and earned the five-point win. Skipper led W&M with six kills on .357 hitting (6-1-14) in the game.

The College maintained a narrow lead for much of the third game and led 24-20 following a block assist by Powell and junior Molly Bohman. However, Delaware utilized a 6-2 spurt to even the count. Following a timeout, the Tribe scored three straight points, but UD tallied five unanswered points to take the game.

Things looked good for W&M midway through the fourth frame, as it built a 14-10 advantage following a kill by Bohman. While the Green and Gold pushed the margin to five, 23-18, late in the game after a put-away by Powell, UD rallied back with an 8-1 run to take a two-point lead. With the scored tied at 28-28, however, the Blue Hens rattled off the final pair of points on a kill by Colleen Walsh and a W&M attack error to claim the game and the match.

The Tribe will close out the regular season when it hosts Towson on Friday evening at 7 p.m. The contest will mark the final home match for Head Coach Debbie Hill, who has announced she will retire at the conclusion of the season after an impressive 30-year career at the helm of the W&M volleyball program.

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