Despite two All-Tournament efforts from sophomore libero Martina Ferrari and senior middle hitter Cassandra Joyner, Delaware State unable to pick up a win at the Bucknell Invitational. The Hornets dropped a pair of matches on the final day, falling 3-2 to Rutgers (25-19, 23-25, 22-25, 25-17, 15-9) in the morning, and 3-1 to Radford (25-15, 24-26, 25-18, 25-22) during the afternoon session.
The first match saw the Hornets (6-8) take a major conference opponent to the limit of five sets, but couldn't find the necessary momentum at the end for a win. After dropping the first set, the Hornets roared back to take the 2nd and 3rd from Rutgers (6-7) behind improved defense at the net. For those two sets DSU outblocked RU 7-1, and as a team the Hornets notched a season high 15 blocks for the match.
"We really played like a team in that match, and we had great energy," said head coach Renee Arnold. "The better team won, but it was a great match to be a part of." Sophomore middle blocker Elisa Hermann led the red and blue with 10 kills, and Ferrari was a stalwart from the back row with a match high 25 digs.
Against Radford in the back end of the doubleheader, Joyner gave a performance worthy of the All-MEAC nod she earned in the preseason. With 15 kills against just two errors on 30 attacks, the Claymont, DE native hit a match high .433, while also coming up with 10 digs to join Hermann as the only Hornets to record a double-double for the match. However Radford was able to win the battle at the net, recording 11 blocks to just two for DSU. The Hornets also struggled to contain their mistakes, recording 39 combined service and hitting errors to just 25 for the Highlanders.
Regarding the tournament as a whole, Arnold added "even though we didn't get wins out of this weekend, we know what we need to do to win now. As soon as we start believing in our abilities we will be fine."
The Hornets will be back in action next Friday and Saturday in Durham, NC, for the North Carolina Central Tournament. NC A & T, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, Winston-Salem State, and North Carolina Central will provide the opposition.