TOWSON, Md. – Sophomore outside hitter Katy Buck and junior middle blocker Alysha McCreary combined to record 27 kills and 12 digs as the Tigers (14-4, 1-0) earned their fifth win in the last six matches, a three-set sweep over the University of Delaware (6-10, 0-1) in the Colonial Athletic Association opener for both teams at the Towson Center on Friday evening.
The Tigers, who are now 5-0 at home this season, earned the victory with scores of 25-21, 27-25 and 25-22.
“Delaware is a very consistent team that doesn't make a lot of mistakes,” Towson Coach Bruce Atkinson said. “We did a great job of sticking to our game plan tonight and it worked out for us.”
Led by five kills from Buck, the Tigers hit .400 as a team to earn a 25-21 victory in a very tight first set that featured eight ties and six lead changes.
After Delaware used a 10-3 run in the second set to turn a 9-8 deficit in an 18-12 advantage, the Tigers countered by scoring nine of the next 12 points to tie the score at 21-21 on a McCreary kill. The teams traded points five times before kills by senior middle blocker Susan Gansor and sophomore outside hitter Dayane Van Ass secured a 27-25 victory.
In the third set, the Tigers overcame a 16-14 deficit by scoring three consecutive points to gain a 17-16 advantage. The Tigers did not trail for the remainder of the set and led by as many as three points.
While Buck posted her fifth “double double” of the season with a match-high 14 kills and 10 digs, McCreary contributed a season-high 13 kills as the Tigers snapped a five-match losing streak against the Blue Hens. Van Ass added 10 kills as the Tigers hit .254 as a team.
Junior setter Aubrey Kirven tallied 40 assists for the Tigers, marking the seventh time this season she has posted 40 or more assists.
The Blue Hens, who had won four of their previous five outings, were led by sophomore outside hitter Katie Hank, who had 13 kills and nine digs.
The Tigers will return to action next weekend with a pair of CAA matches at Hofstra and Northeastern. Meanwhile, Delaware will visit the University of Pennsylvania on Saturday afternoon.
