Towson and Delaware Earn Semifinal Victories to Setup Date in 2022 CAA Volleyball Championship
Hunter Peters
TOWSON, Md. (Nov. 18, 2022) – A date in the CAA Championship match between top-seeded Towson and third-seeded Delaware is set following semifinal victories on Friday evening at SECU Arena on the campus of Towson University.
No. 3 Delaware 3, No. 7 William & Mary 2 (25-18, 16-25, 25-22, 23-25, 16-14) | BOX SCORE | PHOTO GALLERY
Third-seeded Delaware outlasted seventh-seeded William & Mary in a thrilling five-set semifinal to advance to the CAA Championship final for the first time since 2016.
Delaware moves to 17-10 this fall and will face top-seeded Towson tomorrow at 6 p.m. in the CAA Championship match. William & Mary finishes the year 12-14 after the defeat.
In a weekend full of exciting volleyball, the matchup between the Blue Hens and Tribe did not disappoint. Delaware won the first, third and decisive fifth set after William & Mary answered the call twice in the second and fourth.
Ezgi Basaranlar tallied a service ace on the final point as the Blue Hens prevailed 16-14 in the decisive fifth. It was one of the back-to-back points to the decisive fifth set after William & Mary used a 6-0 run, down 14-8, to tie the set. Delaware was able to capture momentum in the set after a 6-0 spurt of its own, with the score tied at five. Savannah Seemans started the run, and Lily Rogers capped the spurt, giving the Blue Hens an 11-5 lead before the Tribe battled back to push Delaware to the brink.
Trailing 22-20, William & Mary kept its season alive by taking five of the final six points and forced a decisive fifth set. The run was sparked by a big-time block from Eleanor Stothoff and Olivia Esposito as the Tribe took the set 25-23. Delaware used a 5-0 run, trailing by one, to gain control early in the frame and take a 12-8 advantage. William & Mary hung tough, fighting back to tie the set at 16 and 20. The Blue Hens tallied back-to-back points, seemingly taking the edge for the electric block from the Tribe.
A highly competitive third set saw Delaware reclaim the advantage in the match, winning 25-22. The teams battled to eight before a 3-0 spurt ended with Seemans giving the Blue Hens an 11-8 lead. Delaware maintained the cushion, but the Tribe cut the lead to 16-15, which prompted a 6-1 run for the Blue Hens that proved to be the difference.
The Tribe responded in a big way to take set two and even the match. William & Mary raced to a 6-0 lead, setting the tone from the first point. With a 10-5 advantage, the Tribe rallied off five in a row, capped by a Taylor Burrell kill to create separation, going on to win the frame, 25-16.
Trailing by one in the opening set, Delaware finished the frame on a 9-1 run to claim a 25-18 victory and go ahead in the match. The run included the Blue Hens taking the final six points in the set as Kirah Johnson tallied two kills and a block assist during the spurt. Delaware led early in the frame before a 7-0 run for the Tribe gave William & Mary a 10-6 advantage. The Blue Hens chipped away, tying the set at 15 before the late run.
Lani Mason had her second double-double in as many games during the tournament, turning in a match-high 24 kills and 18 digs to lead the Blue Hens. Seemans also recorded her second straight double-double with 12 kills and 17 digs, while Johnson added a season-high 14 kills and a team-high six blocks.
After a season-high in kills yesterday, Maddie Meyers improved that mark today with 15 kills for the Tribe and set a new career-high with 21 digs for her first double-double this season. Emma Minnick posted her second straight double-double, recording 26 assists and 14 digs, while Nicole Smith eclipsed double-figure kills for the first time this season, tallying 15.
No. 1 Towson 3, No. 4 Northeastern 0 (25-19, 25-22, 30-28) | BOX SCORE | PHOTO GALLERY
Top-seeded Towson defeated fourth-seeded Northeastern in straight sets behind a stout defensive effort with
17 blocks to advance to its fourth straight CAA Championship final Thursday afternoon from SECU Arena on the campus of Towson University.
The Tigers improve to 28-1 this season after their 10th win in a row and advance to face No. 3 Delaware tomorrow in the CAA Championship match at 6 p.m. Northeastern concludes its season 14-13 after the setback.
Towson recorded 16 blocks, with four Tigers stuffing at least five attacks, limiting Northeastern to a .034 team hitting percentage. Aayinde Smith tallied a match-high nine blocks to lead the Tigers, while Lydia Wiers and Irbe Lazda recorded seven apiece. Victoria Barrett paced Towson with 15 kills, hitting .278 for the match, and added nine digs, one shy of her second double-double of the CAA Tournament.
Trailing by three in the opening frame, Towson used an 11-1 run to assert itself in the match and take control of the set. It was an 8-1 run that gave Northeastern a 12-9 advantage, but the Tigers responded by taking 11 of the following 12 points and gained a 20-13 lead. The run was capped by back-to-back kills from Barrett, who was dominant in the set with seven kills. Towson went on to win the set 25-19, taking a 1-0 lead in the match.
In the second, Towson ended the set by taking three points in a row with the score tied at 22-22 to go ahead two sets to none in the match. Sydney Stewart subbed in to serve after a Northeastern attack error and closed out the final two points, including a service ace. It felt like the Tigers were on the ropes when Northeastern jumped out to an 8-3 lead, but the defending champs battled back to tie the frame at 12. The Huskies responded with a 5-1 spurt, regaining a four-point advantage before the Tigers answered the call yet again with a 6-1 spurt of their own.
Northeastern fought hard with its season on the line, but Towson showed its championship pedigree as the Tigers battled to a 30-28 set victory, winning the match in straight sets. The frame featured 18 ties and eight lead changes, but it was back-to-back kills from none other than Barrett, sending the Tigers back to the championship final.
Evelyn Gonzalez paced Northeastern with eight kills, while Kayla Martin tallied 16 digs to finish the year with at least 10 in five straight matches.
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