For The Dialog
CLAYMONT — Third-ranked Archmere and fifth-ranked St. Mark’s put on quite a show on the volleyball court Sept. 27 at the Moglia Fieldhouse, with the Auks needing five sets to survive the Spartans. For Archmere, it was the first of a four-match stretch during which they will also meet Wilmington Charter, Delaware Military Academy and Ursuline, all ranked in the top seven.
Set scores were 25-17, 22-25, 25-21, 15-25 and 15-5. For Archmere (6-0), it was the first match against a top-10 team.
“I told my assistant coaches at the beginning of the year that St Mark’s is a final four team. They play great defense, and I was happy we came out with the win,” coach Mary Pat Kwoka said.
The Auks looked good early in the match, jumping out to a 6-1 lead behind two kills from Jade Bryant and an ace from Sydney Niumataiwula. The Spartans got a kill from Gillian Lytle to cut it to 10-8. Nicole Kelly had back-to-back aces to give the Auks 16-9 lead. The Auks took the first set on an error by the Spartans.
It was back and forth in the second set, with the Spartans receiving big kills from Savannah Seemans and Genevieve Hughes, while Amy Thomson and Lexi Kelly answered for Archmere, which took a 12-11 lead. St. Mark’s took the lead for good at 23-22 on a kill by Erin Derick, and Grace Frati had a block and a kill to end the set.
The Kellys staked Archmere to a third-set lead with their play up front, but Seemans and Derick anchored a St. Mark’s comeback and a 21-20 lead. Thomson took over during a set-ending five-point run for the Auks, and her kill clinched it. St. Mark’s controlled the fourth set, setting up the deciding frame.
The Auks dominated the fifth, turning up the blocking game. Thomson and Lexi Kelly combined for three blocks, and Julia Kochie had a kill and a block that gave the Auks a huge win.
“We were really working on getting the blocks because they had strong hitters that were finding the holes earlier in the set,” Lexi Kelly said.
Thomson said the Auks are ready for their difficult upcoming matches. “We are really excited about our next couple of matches as it will be a lot harder than the beginning of our season, and this win will help our confidence.”
The Auks travel to Wilmington Charter for a Friday night tilt at 6:30 p.m. The Spartans (3-2) host Ursuline on Thursday night at 7:15 in another key Catholic Conference showdown.
