Delaware Concludes Season in First Round of NCAA Tournament Against Missouri
Hunter Peters
BOX SCORE
LINCOLN, Neb. (Dec. 1, 2023) – Eighth-seeded Missouri defeated CAA Champion Delaware 3-0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-23) in the first round of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament Friday evening at the Devaney Center in Lincoln, Neb. on the campus of the University of Nebraska.
No. 8 Missouri (18-12) advanced to the second round of the big dance, where the Tigers will await the winner of top-seeded Nebraska and LIU. The setback snapped a program-record 15-match winning streak for the Blue Hens, who ended the year 24-5 after making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2011.
Mizzou hit .272 compared to .221 for the Blue Hens, edging Delaware in kills (40-32), assists (38-31), digs (34-29) and service aces (7-5), while both teams tallied six blocks.
Janet deMarrais paced the Tigers with 13 kills on a .290 hitting percentage, and Jordan Iliff also reached double figures, recording 10 kills and hitting .286.
Lani Mason recorded a team-high 10 kills for the Blue Hens, ending the year with double-digit kills in 26 contests, including the final 13 matches this season. Savannah Seemans added seven kills while swinging at a .467 clip and a team-high nine digs.
Missouri hit .391 in the first frame, limiting Delaware to a .174 hitting percentage, and won the opening set 25-17. Maintaining an 8-7 advantage, Mizzou rallied off four straight points to extend its lead before a second 4-0 gave the Tigers their largest lead at 21-13. The margin held as Missouri won the frame after back-to-back errors by the Blue Hens.
The attacking struggles continued for Delaware in the second set, hitting just .062 as a team, but the Blue Hens were competitive before dropping the frame 25-22. An early 4-0 Missouri run gave the Tigers a 6-2 lead before Delaware battled back within one at 8-7; however, the Tigers pushed the advantage back to four and maintained at least a three-point cushion until a 3-0 Blue Hen spurt cut the deficit to 23-22. Back-to-back points for the Tigers clinched the set for the Tigers and gave Missouri a 2-0 lead in the match.
Despite coming alive in the third, Delaware ultimately fell 25-23 to end the match. Tied 20-20, the Tigers got back-to-back kills, which proved to be the difference. After trailing 9-5, Delaware rallied off a 7-1 run and gained a 12-10 lead. The Tigers hung tough, tying the set at 13, 14, 15 and 16 before three straight points from the Blue Hens shifted the momentum back to UD. However, Mizzou responded with its own 4-0 spurt and eventually won with a kill from deMarris. Delaware hit .419 in the set, its best for the match, but Missouri held its own, swinging .323 to close out the contest.
The 24 wins are the most for the Blue Hens since 2010, and Delaware set a new program record with 15 CAA victories this season.
Follow the CAA on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get up-to-date information and learn more about all CAA member institutions and their teams.