Dialog reporter
WILMINGTON – Caravel Academy had rolled to easy wins in each of the first two sets Tuesday evening, but the homestanding St. Elizabeth Vikings were not about to give the Buccaneers an easy sweep in a nonconference volleyball match. The Vikings held four set points in that third frame, but Caravel fought off each one, scoring the final three points to finally earn the 3-0 sweep.
Caravel picked up the winning point on a kill by senior hitter Caroline Davis, but only after St. Elizabeth saved the previous spike with a dig that hit the fingertips of a Viking that were flush against the floor. With the win, the Buccaneers improved to 3-4, although three of the losses have come to Charter, Delaware Military Academy and Concord, among the best teams in the state.
Davis’ kill ended a thrilling set, one that saw Caravel fall as many as six points down at 20-14. St. Elizabeth was in position to steal the set, leading 24-20 before a small but vocal crowd. After Caravel cut the lead to three, Brittany Ford scored on a tap over the Vikings’ front line to make it 24-22. Ford then smashed an overset straight down, cutting the lead to a single point.
Ford wasn’t done. In fact, history repeated itself immediately as St. Elizabeth bumped another overset in her direction. Again, Ford sent it down with authority, tying the score at 24. Kylie DeGhetto put the Vikings back on top with a kill down the left sideline, but a service error knotted it again. A back-line kill put the Bucs on top, 26-25, setting the stage for Davis’ final play.
Ford had 14 kills and nine digs for the Bucs, while Samantha Esper had 17 digs and Davis 11 kills. Caravel is on the road Thursday at Red Lion Christian Academy. The start time is scheduled for 6:45 p.m.
For St. Elizabeth, the loss dropped their record to 3-4 for the season. Karli Cathell led the way with nine kills and 11 digs, while Anna Desmond also had 11 kills. The Vikings are home Friday night against Hodgson Vo-Tech at 7 p.m. They then host Archmere on Monday at 6 p.m. in the eighth annual Serve for the Cure, which raises money for the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center. A pink t-shirt on sale at the schools acts as the admission ticket, or $10 at the St. E Center door.
