Wilmington University Volleyball

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SUBJECT: Volleyball Splits a Pair of Matches on Final Day of Hoffman Memorial Invitational; Defeats Mercy for First Win of 2017

DATE: September 1, 2017
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WALTHAM, Mass. - - After dropping the opening match of the final day of the Hoffman Memorial Invitational, 3-0 to host Bentley University, the Wilmington University volleyball team earned their first win of the season with a 3-0 sweep over Mercy College on Saturday.

Set scores for the match against Bentley were 12-25, 15-25, and 18-25.

Set scores for the match against Mercy were 25-20, 25-23, and 25-20.

The Wildcats (1-3) struggled out of the gate against the host Falcons, and were outhit by a .320 to .145 margin. Seven service errors didn’t help the cause, but the squad showed promise defensively at the net, recording five total blocks.

Leading the way was sophomore Jill Braunsberg, as she recorded seven kills on 20 swings for a .350 hitting percentage while also dishing out nine assists and 12 digs. Classmate Rebecca Rawlinson added five kills on 10 swings with three block assists, and junior Brittany Ford notched six kills and 9 digs. Junior setter Miranda Shaw added 16 assists and seven digs, while senior libero Jenna Brown paced the defense with a team-high 15 digs.

Wilmington served their way to their first win of the season against Mercy, as the Wildcats picked up 12 aces as a team. The stats between the two teams were even, as the ‘Cats hit .171 to the Mavericks’ .151. Digs were 57-55 in favor of the green and white while both squads each picked up six block assists.

Sophomore Emma Kongevold had the hot hand in the nightcap, connecting on nine kills for a .300 hitting percentage. Braunsberg added a match-high 17 assists to go along with 13 digs and seven kills, while Shaw dished out 11 helpers of her own. Freshman Genny Hughes and senior Deja Stanek each added six kills, while Brown once again led the defense with a match-high 21 digs. Sophomore Addalyn Flores ran off four service aces while pitching with five digs defensively.

Braunsberg was named to the Hoffman Memorial Invitational All-Tournament Team for her effort this weekend.

The Wildcats return to action next Friday when they host the eight-team Wildcat Regional Invitational on Friday and Saturday. Wilmington is set to square off against Merrimack and American International on day one of action. First serve is slated for 1 PM, with the second match to begin at approximately 5 PM.

AGATE:

Hoffman Memorial Invitational All-Tournament Team

Katrina Janssen, Caldwell – MVP
Taryn Auyong, Caldwell
Shannon Kelly, Bentley
Kaitlyn Patridge, Mercy
Jessica Dillon, SNHU
Jill Braunsberg, Wilmington

 

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SUBJECT: Volleyball Take Both Matches on Final Day of Wildcat Invite, 3-1, against Adelphi and Franklin Pierce

DATE: September 8, 2017
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NEWARK, Del. - - The Wilmington University volleyball team took a pair of matches on the final day of the 2017 Wildcat Invite on Saturday afternoon at the WU Athletics Complex, first defeating Adelphi, 3-1, before finishing the tournament with a 3-1 victory over Franklin Pierce.

Set scores for the match against Adelphi were 25-22, 23-25, 26-24, and 25-21.

Set scores for the match against Franklin pierce were 25-19, 27-25, 23-25, 25-20.

Sophomore Jill Braunsberg paced the Wildcats against the Panthers, securing her first career triple-double with 10 kills, 20 assists, and 14 digs. She is the third student-athlete to collect a triple-double in the Wildcats’ NCAA era (2004-05). She joins Wilmington Hall-of Famer Angie Estep (2005) and Alex Siolos (12 in her four-year career, 2012-2015).

Braunsberg hit .276 as well, committing only two errors on 29 swings. Freshman Mandy Behiels matched Braunsberg with 10 kills, adding 10 digs for the double-double. Brittany Ford and Rebecca Rawlinson tallied seven kills each in the match. The Wildcats hit .151 for the match as a team, including .238 in the second set and .209 in the fourth set.

Defensively, Jenna Brown picked up a team high 27 digs while Braunsberg (14), Ford (12), and Behiels (10) added double digit digs as well. At the net, the Wildcats added nine total blocks, led by Rawlinson’s four block assists and one solo block. Braunsberg and Eile Harris also picked up four block assists in the match.

In the nightcap, Braunsberg once again kept the Wildcats on pace against the Ravens, posting her second consecutive triple double with 12 kills, adding 21 assists and 20 digs. Behiels also added to the offense with 13 kills and 22 digs.

Senior libero Jenna Brown once again led the way defensively with 32 digs in the match while Braunsberg added 20, and Behiels (22), Shaw (18), and Ford (11) also added double digit digs. The Cats out-blocked the Ravens, 14-2, including an outstanding performance by Rawlinson with five solo blocks and four block assists. The Wildcats bested the Ravens kill percentage, .140 to .073, in four sets as well.

The Wildcats will be back in action Wednesday, September 13 as they open Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference play on the road at Jefferson University. The opening serve is set for 6:00 p.m. in Philadelphia, Pa.


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SUBJECT: Trio of Wildcats Earn Player of the Week Honors as CACC Announces Weekly Reports

DATE: September 11, 2017
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NEWARK, Del. - - A trio of Wilmington University student-athlete found their way onto the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Weekly Reports after leading their respective teams in action last week.

The volleyball team went 3-1 in their own 2017 Wildcat Invitational, leading to senior Jenna Brown being named the CACC Defensive Player of the Week and freshman Mandy Behiels being named the CACC Rookie of the Week.

The women’s soccer team went 1-0-1 last week, including winning their CACC opener, 2-1, over Felician on Sunday. Senior goalkeeper Kierstyn Williams anchored the defense in the two matches, leading to being named the CACC Goalkeeper of the Week.

Brown (Darnestown, Md.) led the back row all weekend, finishing with 88 digs, good enough for 5.87 digs per set. Her best two matches came on Saturday, as she collected a weekend’s high 32 digs in a four-set win over Franklin Pierce and 27 digs in a four-set victory over Adelphi. She also had 21 digs in the first match of the Invite against Merrimack.

Behiels (Edmonton, Alberta) led the offense at the Wildcat Invitational, averaging 2.27 kills in 15 sets. She also picked up quick points from behind the service line, putting down a team high nine aces over the weekend. Defensively, she finished third with 56 digs, picking up 3.73 digs per set. Behiels finished the tournament strong, putting down a weekend’s best 13 kills, 22 digs, and four aces in a four-set win over Franklin Pierce. She also collected a double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs in a four-set win against Adelphi.

Williams (Middletown, Del.) played all 200 minutes in goal for the Wildcats last week. The senior kept the Wildcats in the game at West Chester with nine saves in regulation, allowing the offense to score with 58 seconds left to force overtime. Williams ended the match with 11 saves to earn the tie. She then made one stop on Sunday against Felician to pick up the CACC victory, 2-1. She finished the week with a 0.90 goals against average and a .857 save percentage.

Lorne Bickley earned a spot on the men’s soccer Honor Roll after scoring a program record four goals on Sunday. Preslie Quaranta contributed three points for the women’s soccer team, including the game-winner against Felician on Sunday for her first goal as a Wildcat to earn a spot on the sport’s Honor Roll. Rebecca Rawlinson was named to the Wildcat Invite All-Tournament Team in leading the volleyball team in averaging 3.03 points per set, earning a spot on the Honor Roll as well.

 

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SUBJECT: Wilmington Volleyball Falls to Jefferson, 3-0, to Open CACC Play

DATE: September 13, 2017
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PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - - The Wilmington University volleyball team opened its Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference campaign with a 3-0 setback at Jefferson on Wednesday night in the Gallagher Center.

Set scores for the match were 20-25, 20-25, and 14-25.

Despite out-blocking the Rams, 7-3, the Wildcats (4-5, 0-1 CACC) only hit .093 for the match with 26 kills and 16 errors while the Rams (5-5, 1-0 CACC) came away with 44 kills and 16 kills for a .226 attack percentage.

Jefferson used a 5-0 run in the middle of the first set to pull away from an 8-8 tie. Down 15-9, the Wildcats scored six of the next eight points to get to within 17-15 but the Rams answered with the next four points to take a 21-15 lead. A block from Eile Harris and Erin Bistany brought the Wildcats back to within 21-19, but the Rams finished off the first set by scored four of the next five to take a 1-0 lead.

With the Wildcats leading, 4-3, early in the second set, the Rams rattled off another long rally, scoring the next nine points and 12 of the next 13 to grab a 15-5 advantage. Another three straight points gave the Rams a 24-14 lead before the Wildcats attempted a late game comeback. A block by Jill Braunsberg and Rebecca Rawlinson and a kill from Braunsberg were a part of a 6-0 run to get to with 24-20, but it was too little too late as the Rams closed out the set for the 2-0 lead.

The Rams got off to a hot start in the third set, jumping out to leads of 8-2 and 14-4. The Wildcats scored 7-of-10 points to get to within 22-14, but the Rams closed out the set, 25-14, and the match, 3-0.

Harris and Braunsberg led the offense with six kills each. Braunsberg also led the back row with 16 digs while Brittany Ford and Mandy Behiels added 10 digs each. Rawlinson finished with three block assists and a solo block while Bistany collected four block assists. Harris also collected three block assists on the night.

The Wildcats head to LIU Post this weekend for a tri-match with the Pioneers and New Haven. The Wildcats square off against the Chargers first, with an opening serve set for 12:00 p.m. on Saturday.

 

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SUBJECT: Wilmington Volleyball Drops Straight Set Matches to LIU Post and New Haven

DATE: September 16, 2017
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BROOKVILLE, N.Y. - - The Wilmington University volleyball team dropped a pair of matches at LIU Post, falling to the host Pioneers, 3-0, before dropping a match to New Haven, 3-0, at the Pratt Rec Center on Saturday afternoon.

Set scores for the match against LIU Post were 25-22, 25-16, and 25-20.

Set scores for the match against New Haven were 25-19, 25-14, and 26-24.

The Wildcats (4-7) got out to a fast start against LIU Post in the opener, getting a solo block from Rebecca Rawlinson for a 4-1 lead. Erin Bistany put down a kill to put the Wildcats ahead, 8-5, in the first set. But the Pioneers answered back with nine straight points and an 11-1 run to take a 16-9 lead.

The Wildcats led the third set 11-10 and had the game at 12-12 before the Pioneers rattled off an 8-3 spurt to take a 20-15 lead. The Wildcats battled back to within 21-20, but that was as close as they would get before the Pioneers scored the final four points of the match.

The Wildcats hit .045 as a team for the match, led by Brittany Ford and Jill Braunsberg’s six kills each. Miranda Shaw dished out 11 assists while Ford led the back row with 16 digs. Rawlinson finished with two solo blocks and a block assist while Bistany finished with two block assists and a solo block.

In the nightcap, the Wildcats again got off to a fast start, scoring the first four points against New Haven. Another three straight points put the Wildcats ahead 12-9 but the Chargers came back with a 9-1 run to grab a 19-14 lead. The Wildcats clawed back to within 19-17, but the Chargers answered with six of the final eight points to take the opener, 25-19.

The third set was a close knit affair, as the Wildcats and Chargers went back and forth. Trailing 14-13, the Wildcats scored four of the next five points to take a 17-15 lead. Again tied at 19, a Braunsberg kill started a 4-0 run for the Wildcats, as a New Haven attack error put the Wildcats ahead, 23-19. The Wildcats had set point at 24-23 as Mandy Behiels put down a kill, but they couldn’t find the finishing touch as the Chargers fought back with the final three points of the match.

Behiels led the offense that hit .137 with eight kills and only one error. Shaw passed out 11 more assists while Addalyn Flores and Braunsberg led the back row with 10 digs each. Eile Harris and Rawlinson each had a solo block in the match.

The Wildcats return to action on Tuesday as they open their Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference home slate against Felician at the WU Athletics Complex. Opening serve is set for 7:00 p.m.

 

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SUBJECT: North Division Leading Caldwell Takes Straight Set Match from Wilmington Volleyball

DATE: September 23, 2017
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CALDWELL, N.J. - - The Wilmington University volleyball team fell to Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference North Division leaders Caldwell, 3-0, on the road on Saturday afternoon inside the Newman Center

Set scores for the match were 25-12, 25-23, and 25-15.

The Wildcats (5-0, 1-3 CACC) committed more errors than kills in the match, finishing with a negative .023 attack percentage for the match. The Cougars (9-2, 4-0 CACC) were led by Taryn Auyong’s 16 kills as they hit .302 as a team for the match.

Rebecca Rawlinson’s six kills, while hitting .143 from the middle position, led the Wildcats. Eile Harris also hit .143 for the match, collecting four kills on 14 swings. Jill Braunsberg dished out 10 assists while adding a team high six digs.

Erin Bistany and Rawlinson paced the defense at the net; collecting three block assists each in the match. Harris chipped in two block assists while Emma Kongevold, Miranda Shaw, Mandy Behiels, and Braunsberg all had one block assist on the afternoon.

The Wildcats return home for their next contest, as they host crosstown rival Goldey-Beacom on Wednesday night at the WU Athletics Complex. The first serve is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.