DOVER, Del. (Nov. 1st) - Three different Hornets registered double digit kills, and Delaware State Volleyball picked up their sixth win in MEAC play with a 3-0 sweep (29-27, 25-18, 25-20) over Howard University on Sunday afternoon at Memorial Gym in Dover. The victory also ensured the Hornets a berth in the MEAC Tournament in Baltimore on Nov. 20
th with two games remaining in the conference season.
Senior middle hitter Cassandra Joyner and junior outside hitter Erica Tajchman both had 14 kills in only three sets, and junior right side Sarah Wheatcroft had 11 to give three Hornets double digit kills for the first time this season in a three set match. They also attacked efficiently, posting a .305 hitting percentage as a team to .242 for the Bison (8-24, 3-5 MEAC). Joyner's fellow All-MEAC teammate Gazelle D'Artois lead Howard with an impressive 19 kills on 44 attacks with only five errors.
"We didn't play a perfect match, but we played well enough to get the win today," said head coach Renee Arnold, who tied her season high for wins in her six years as head coach with her 16th today. "We need to continue to improve if we're going to achieve all our goals this season."
Wheatcroft also led the Hornets with seven digs, leading all Hornets. The junior from Oro Station, Ontario has played some of her best volleyball of the season this week, picking up 21 kills in six sets with a .359 average. "After the match, we had the majority of our players in the zone, so it was really easy to feed off each other, and we also had a real positive energy," said Wheatcroft.
Asked about what the team needs to do between now and post-season play, she added "I think we need to our practices to be better, we need to practice like we're about to play. Maintain a really high energy, and celebrate a lot. We have to control every game, no matter who is on the other side of the net."
The Hornets (16-12, 6-2 MEAC) will close out their regular season MEAC schedule next weekend, traveling to Morgan State on Friday for a 7 p.m. tilt, then home to Coppin State on Sunday at 3 p.m. DSUHornets.com will be the place to get all the information as the Hornets push towards the post-season.
