Delaware State showed continued improvement throughout their opening weekend, but were unable to pick up their first victory of the 2009 season as they fell to Sam Houston State (25-20, 25-14, 28-26) and Texas-Pan American (16-25, 25-23, 25-19, 25-19) at the Comfort Suites Sam Houston State Invitational on Saturday.
"I really think as the weekend went on, we started to remember how to win," said head coach Renee Arnold, whose team was picked to finish third in the MEAC Northern Division. "We're installing new defensive and offensive systems, and as the weekend went on, we started to trust the systems and each other. Now we just need to add the consistency and energy to make them work."
The early match against host Sam Houston State (4-0) saw the Hornets improve as the match continued. Game three saw DSU register their best hitting percentage of the match at .146, and pushed the Bearkats to extra volleyball to close out the match at 28-26.
The new system Arnold discussed was anchored by setter Martina Ferrari, who assisted on 29 of the Hornets 31 kills, and chipped in nine digs as well. DSU was also able to balance the offense effectively, with junior Erica Tajchman and sophomore Elisa Herrmann each picking up nine kills, and Preseason All-MEAC first teamer senior Cassandra Joyner adding seven scoring swings.
The second session of the day opened with Delaware State picking up their first set of the young season against Texas-Pan American (1-3), hitting a season high set percentage of .281 with 12 kills against only three errors to comfortably pull away 25-16. But the Broncs combination of Marci Logan and Noelle Mayor proved too much, as the duo combined for 23 of UTPA's 50 kills.
The improved defense of the Hornets this year did show through, as DSU registered 67 digs across all four sets, and outblocked the Broncs 8-6 during the match. The loss also overshadowed a season's best performance from Joyner, who picked up 12 kills and 21 digs for the match, both season highs for a Hornet this season. Tajchman also registered her first double double for the season, notching 10 kills and 17 digs.
The Hornets look to christen the win column at the Lafayette Tournament in Easton, PA, where they'll take on St. Peter's, Fairleigh Dickinson, St. Francis (Pa.), and hosts Lafayette next Friday and Saturday. DSUHornets.com will be the place for coverage of Hornet Volleyball all season.