Dialog reporter
WILMINGTON – Ursuline’s volleyball team proved it could play defense as well as anyone in the state during Tuesday’s match with Merion Mercy (Pa.), but the Raiders fell just a bit short on offense. The Golden Bears, from Merion Station, between Narberth and Bala Cynwyd, left Delaware with a 25-22, 25-20, 25-19 sweep.
The match was a back-and-forth affair all night, with the largest lead on either side coming at the end of the third set. It was an entertaining evening filled with spectacular defense from both teams, very few aces and some critical unforced errors.
The Raiders held a 7-6 lead in the third before Merion Mercy went on a 7-1 run to take a 13-8 advantage. After a timeout, Ursuline clawed back to tie the score at 15 when a kill off the hand of Kailyn Kampert was blocked out of bounds. The teams would be tied again at 16, 17 and 18 before Mercy pulled away.
The visitors held a 22-18 lead when they were called for a rotation violation, but that would be Ursuline’s final point. An ace by Allison Stranick of Mercy sent the score to 24-19 and match point, and it ended seconds later when the Raiders were called for a net violation.
Ursuline held a four-point advantage midway through the first set, but Mercy closed the gap, and the teams were nip and tuck the rest of the way. The Golden Bears gained separation at the end of the set to take the victory. In the second, the Raiders led it as late as 14-12 on a block by Corinne Furey. Merion Mercy tied the score at 16, then tallied the next five points. Kampert ended that run, and Samantha Davis drilled an ace to bring the home team within 21-18, but the Golden Bears won on a kill by Kierra Maynard.
Kampert and Taylor Wright paced the Raiders’ offense with 12 kills each, and Wright added 15 digs. Davis led the way with 19 digs. Ursuline (6-2), ranked fifth in the state, has a few days off to prepare for a visit from No. 2 Archmere. The match is scheduled for this Saturday at 7:15 p.m.
