DOVER Del. (Oct. 18th) - The Delaware State Hornets hit over .300 for the third time this season as a team and the first time in MEAC play en route to a three set sweep over the Morgan State Bears (25-21, 25-22, 25-19) on Sunday afternoon at Memorial Gym on the campus of Delaware State.
An effective offense that was the catalyst for the victory, as the 47 kills registered were the most for the red and blue in any three set match this season. Delaware State also picked up 10 aces to just one for MSU.
"I thought we did great today," said Renee Arnold, whose team moved to 3-1 in MEAC play for the first time in her six seasons at the helm. "We took care of the ball today, and our serve receive was much improved. Cassandra (Joyner) played really well in the middle, and we made good decisions offensively."
The first set saw DSU (13-11, 3-1 MEAC) use a balanced attack to keep the Bears at bay, with five different Hornets registering multiple kills. Led by juniors Ashley Herman and Sarah Wheatcroft with four each, DSU hit .344 on 16 kills with just five errors. Wheatcroft also had two block solos, which accounted for the majority of the three DSU rejections on the day.
Set two was another exercise in efficiency, with Joyner's four kills pacing all Hornets. Morgan State (6-18, 1-3 MEAC) got a great effort from outside hitter Ivanti Bush, who had five kills in the second set, part of her 11 on the day, which combined with her 11 digs was the only double-double recorded by a visitor. The finale was dominated by the Hornets as well, with junior outside hitter Erica Tajchman carrying DSU with seven kills on 10 total attacks.
Joyner lived up to her Preseason All-MEAC status with 13 kills against two errors on 23 attacks for an impressive .478 hitting percentage, as well as 13 digs and a block assist. Junior Ashley Herman also shined with eight kills on 14 attacks as well as three aces. Herman entered the weekend as the MEAC's leader in aces per set.
"I think we showed a lot of heart today, and at the end we pulled through," said Herman. "We've been working really hard and we are ready for MEAC play. We have to continue to improve and get better to get to where we want to be, and I think we can do that."
The Hornets head back out on the road next Friday at 7 p.m. against Coppin State. A victory over the Eagles will give Arnold her 80th victory at the helm of DSU.
