Dover, Del. (Sep. 14, 2013) --- Jasmine Jackson (so;  South Riding, Va.) had a team-high 22 kills and 16 digs to lead Delaware State to a 3-1 victory over St. Peter's on the final day of the Candlewood Suites Invitational at Syracuse University today.  The Hornets dropped the first set 28-26 before storming back to take the next three 25-21, 25-22 and 25-21.

The win is the first of the season for DSU (1-4) and for new head coach Kisya Killingsworth.

Jackson has led the Hornets in kills in each of the last three matches. Her 22 winners in the match marked a career-high, while the 16 digs tied her career best.

Jessica Russell-Croucher (sr.; Brisbane, Aus.) had 12 kills and a team-high 17 digs, while Edarkis Branch (jr.; Los Angeles, Cal.) contributed 11 kills to the win.

Natalia Mendieta (so.; Aurora, Ill.)  had a career-high 29 assists and 14 digs in the match.

The first game featured a total of 13 ties and seven lead changes.

Delaware State trailed 24-23, but scored the next two points to take a 25-24 lead. The Peahens scored four of the last five points to win the opening set.

In game two, the score was 10-10 before the Hornets began to take control. DSU scored eight of the next 11 points to grab an 18-13 lead. St. Peter's could get no closer than three points the rest of the way. Jackson scored the final point of the game on an assist by Taylor Marshall (fr.; Lancaster, OH) to tie the match at 1-1.

The Hornets took the lead in the match with their game three victory. DSU trailed the game 13-9 before taking control with an 8-0 run. Jackson capped off the run with a kill off a feed from Mendieta to give the Hornets a 17-13 lead. DSU led by as many as five points, but Towson fought back to pull to within 21-20. The Hornets scored the final point of the game on a St. Peter's error.

Delaware State closed out the match with a win in game four. The Hornets scored the first four points of the game and opened up a 10-3 lead on an ace by Jackson.

St. Peter's answered with a 13-6 run to tie the game at 16-16. The Peahens took the lead 21-20, but the Hornets scored the last five points of the game to win the match.

Delaware State had a .142 hitting percentage in the game (48 kills/29 errors/134 attacks), compared to .097 for St. Peter's (46/31/154).

The Hornets were stellar on defense, collected a season-high 67 digs.   

DSU will return to action on Tuesday (Sep. 17) for the home opener against Towson. The match gets underway at 6:00 p.m. in Memorial Hall.