Dialog reporter
WILMINGTON – St. Elizabeth pushed Caravel to four sets when the teams met Sept. 26, but the Buccaneers were able to prevent the Vikings from picking up their first volleyball win of the season in a 3-1 decision. Set scores were 25-18, 25-13, 19-25 and 25-17.
Caravel took advantage of St. Elizabeth’s struggles with the serve receive, being credited with 23 aces on the evening. Junior Kody Dillon led the way with eight to go along with a team-high 13 kills and 15 digs. Classmate Ashlyn Anderson added five aces, while Lauren Gauding and Courtney Maxwell had three each.
The Buccaneers (4-1) were up two sets to none and looked to be on their way to a sweep when St. Elizabeth mounted a comeback. The Vikings trailed in the third, 17-14, but the home team rallied, and an ace by Kelley Osborne tied things up and prompted a timeout by the Bucs. The Vikings took a 21-19 lead when a dig eluded the Caravel defenders, and the set ended with four straight unforced Bucs errors.
Caravel sent a statement early in the fourth set that the match would not see a fifth. A pair of Maxwell aces made it 3-0, and another one, this time by Rene Hastings, took it to 6-1 and led to a Vikings timeout. The deficit reached seven before a three-point streak before the Buccaneers put the score out of reach with a 6-1 run.
Hastings made it 20-7 on a tip kill before the Vikings went on a run. Shea Sweeney scored with a kill off the tape. Kailee Gautier stuffed a Bucs kill attempt. A few errors and a Clara Newswanger ace later, the score was 20-13. But the deficit was too great, and the match ended when Dillon’s last serve found the floor untouched.
Statistics for the Vikings (0-6) were not available late Monday evening. St. Elizabeth is off until next Monday, when the team begins a three-match road trip at Ursuline at 7:15 p.m. The Vikings’ home match against Padua that was scheduled for this Saturday has been rescheduled for Oct. 8 at 7:15 p.m.
Caravel travels to undefeated Red Lion on Friday at 6:45 p.m.
