Dover, Del. (Oct. 25, 2021) --- After more than a week since its last match, the Delaware State women's volleyball team continues its historic season with the first of three straight road contests on Tuesday at Howard.
The Hornets have been the big story of the 2021 MEAC volleyball season, winners of a school-record 16 straight matches, while posting a 20-1 overall record and a perfect 8-0 mark in the conference.
Howard is second in the MEAC at 6-2, including a 3-1 defeat to the Hornets in the first meeting between the teams on Sep. 24 in Dover, Del., handing DSU's its only set loss in the MEAC this year.
The Bison have won their last three matches to stand at 9-11 overall this season.
The Hornets have won their last seven matches by 3-0 scores and have a team-record 17 shutout victories this season. DSU has 3-0 wins in 14 matches and taken 48 of 50 sets in the 16 consecutive victories. Overall, the Hornets are 61-7 in sets played this year, including 24-1 in MEAC matches.
Delaware State's 20 wins this season are tied for second in team history, matching the 2009 squad (20-13). The team record for wins in a season is 23 in 1987 (23-6).
The Hornets' 20 wins also tie for first among all NCAA Division I teams and their .947 win percentage this season is third among all schools, trailing only undefeated Louisville (20-0) and Texas (17-0).
Additionally, Delaware State leads the nation in opponents' hitting percentage (.098) and aces per set (2.32), while tying for 10^th in total aces (158 in 68 sets), ninth in assists per set (13.2), 15th in kills per set (14.1) and 27th in hitting percentage (.266).
Delaware State is also dominating MEAC statistical categories this season, topping the league in hitting percentage, opponents hitting percentage, assists, kills per set and blocks (2.13 per set).
Individually, DSU's Malgorzata Andersohn is tops in the MEAC and third in Division I in aces per set (.70) and tied for 14^th in the nation with 38 total service winners. Hornet senior Kristi Gomez is 12^th in Division I in aces at .53 per set (30 total).
Delaware State's Adriana Rodriguez is No. 1 in the MEAC and 15th in the nation with a .421 hitting percentage.
DSU also features the second and third best hitters by percentage in the MEAC. Alondra Maldonado is No. 2 in the league with a .350 hitting percentage, while Sydney Lewis is third in the league at .335. Lewis is also the No. 1 blocker in the MEAC at 1.12 per set (74 total).
Maldonado is also No. 2 in the MEAC in kills at 3.29 per set (207 total). DSU's Valeria Otero is eighth at 2.75.
Andersohn is also fifth in the MEAC in assists at 6.37 per set.
Maldonado is also ninth in the MEAC in blocks at 0.83 per set (47 total), while Rodriguez is No. 10 at 0.78 per set (38 total).
DSU's Jasmal Cruz has climbed to fourth in the league in digs at 3.98 per set (235).
Delaware State will also visit North Carolina Central (Oct. 29) and South Carolina State (Oct. 31) before returning home to face Morgan State on Nov. 5 in their final Memorial Hall appearance of the season.  
STINGERS
The Hornets' 16-match winning streak is the second-longest in the nation (Louisville has won 20 in a row).