Boston College vs. Delaware State
National Invitational Volleyball Championship - First Round
Sat., Dec. 4, 2021 - 4:00 pm
Chestnut Hill, Mass. (Power Gym)

Stream: https://es.pn/3IhgHkM
Live Stats: http://statb.us/b/380651

Dover, Del. (Dec. 2, 2021) --- The Delaware State volleyball team has added another chapter to its historic 2021 season. The Hornets are competing in the 2021 National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) Tournament, marking the first national post-season competition in team history. Modeled after the NIT and WNIT college basketball tournaments, the NIVC features 31 teams in a single-elimination format designed to reward deserving programs with a separate postseason experience. DSU will take on regional host Boston College in the opening round of the tournament. The winner of the Delaware State / Boston College match-up will take on either Connecticut or North Carolina A&T in the second round. Boston College is 16-16 overall this season. The Eagles were 6-12 during the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season to finish 12th in the 15-team ACC standings. The Hornets' school-record 26 wins (26-4) are the most of any team in the 2021 NIVC field.  The Hornets' .867 win percentage is tied for ninth among all NCAA Division I teams as Nov. Dec. 1. This will be the third meeting between the Hornets and Eagles. BC won the first two meetings, topping DSU by 3-0 scores in 1995 and 2007. Delaware State and Boston College did not face any common opponents this season.  

MAKING HISTORY
The NIVC appearance adds to an already impressive list of achievements in their historic season for the Hornets. In addition to the share of the MEAC regular season title for the first time since 1987 and school wins record (26), Delaware State set a new team mark with 16 consecutive wins from Sep. 4 to Oct. 26, tops in the MEAC and third among all NCAA Div. I teams at one point this season. The Hornets also posted a perfect record at home for the first time in team history (13-0), winning 39 of 40 sets played in Memorial Hall this season. DSU has also set new team records with 20 total shutouts, including win streaks of seven and six  consecutive matches by 3-0 scores. Delaware State was 12-1 vs. non-MEAC opponents this season, also the best such mark in team history. In addition, DSU has set a new team record with 224 aces this season. Also, should Delaware State win a match in the NIVC, the Hornets would reach 27 wins and tie for the second-best season win total in MEAC league history. Morgan State (27-10) in 2010, Florida A&M (27-3) in 2001 and Maryland-Eastern Shore (27-9) also hit the 27-win mark. The all-time MEAC record for wins in a season is 28 by Florida A&M in 1993 (28-13) and Maryland-Eastern Shore (28-6) in 2012.

HORNETS IN MEAC / NCAA RANKINGS
Delaware State continues to post strong showings in several national statistical categories, while dominating the MEAC rankings this season. Entering the NIVC, the Hornets are tied for ninth among all NCAA Division I schools with a .867 win percentage. DSU is third in the nation in aces at 2.20 per set and total aces (224). The Hornets are also third nationally with a .125 opponents hitting percentage. Delaware State is also 30th in the nation in assists per set (12.73) and 39th in kills per set (13.69). Delaware State's Malgorzata Andersohn (jr.) is tops in the MEAC and No. 2 in the nation in aces at 0.66 per set and sixth in total aces with 58.  As a team, the Hornets are tops in the MEAC in aces (2.20 per set), hitting percentage (.243) opponents hitting pct. (.125), assists (12.73 per set), opponents assists (8.67 per set), kills (13.69 per set), opponent kills (9.27 per set) and opponent digs (12.07 ps). DSU's Adriana Rodriguez ( so,) is the MEAC leader with a .380 hitting percentage, while Sydney Lewis (jr.) is third at .355 and Alondra Maldonado (so.) is seventh (.298). Maldonado is also second in the MEAC in kills (3.15 per set), fourth in points (3.59 per set) and ninth in blocks (0.76 per set). Lewis is also third in the MEAC in blocks (1.00 per set) and Rodriguez 10th (0.71). Delaware State's Jasmal Cruz (jr.) is third in the MEAC in digs at 4.17 per set.