"This was such a mental game for us, and I can't say enough about the way we persevered," said head coach Renee Arnold, who could barely catch her breath following the final point.  "Sarah (Wheatcroft) really ran the team as a setter today, and I told her to set Erica (Tajchman) as much as she could, and they both responded tremendously. I couldn't be prouder of the performance."

The junior Tajchman turned in one of her best performances in red and blue from the outside hitter position.  Scoring 15 kills on 58 attacks, she also defended well in both the back and front rows with 18 digs and five total blocks.  Wheatcroft nearly notched a rare volleyball triple-double.  Picking up 35 assists, she also kept the defense off balance with eight kills mostly via the dump, as well as nine digs.  All-MEAC performer and middle hitter Cassandra Joyner also picked up 10 kills, as well as a dramatic roof block at 20-19 in the fifth to start the celebration on the Hornet bench. 

The first set saw a nip-tuck battle all the way to the end, which was a harbinger for things to come.  Up 20-18, two Violeta Slabakova kills sparked a run that put the Knights up 22-20.  It turned out to be the difference, as the sides traded points through the end at 25-23.  It was the start of an excellent match for Tajchman, who notched five total blocks with seven digs and three kills in the opening session.

The second frame was just as close, but a different victor was declared.  The Hornets pulled out to a 21-16 advantage behind the strong play of Elisa Hermann, who scored five kills on eight errorless attacks for a set hitting percentage of .625, the second highest for a Hornet this season.  But another FDU run put the set in doubt, this time a 7-0 skein that included three aces from the Knights Amanda Alayon.  This time DSU was able to rebound behind the right arm of Tajchman, who found the FDU floor with three kills amidst the Hornets final seven points.  Defense was the difference, as the Hornets outdug the Knights 25-17 for the set. 

Defense and passing was again the key in the third set, as well as the distribution of the offense.  With FDU keyed on Tajchman after her hot start, the middle was left open for Joyner, who picked up four kills on six attacks alongside two blocks.  The Hornets also saw their defense make a difference, with 15 digs to nine for FDU.  Martina Ferrari led the charge with six controlled attacks as the DSU libero. 

And then it got interesting.

Just when it seemed the momentum was firmly with Arnold's charges, Fairleigh Dickinson got up off the mat just as Delaware State had done earlier.  Meaghan Wheeler's six kills sparked a fourth set run that got the Knights to push it the distance. Outblocking the Hornets at the net for the only set in the match 3-1, a late push from DSU cut a 21-12 Knight lead more than in half to 21-17.  But two substitutions and a timeout was enough to stem the tide. 

Leading 7-5 in the tiebreaker fifth, three straight Delaware State errors gave the Knights a one point advantage at the side change.  Trading points until knotted at 10, a tandem block from Joyner and Wheatcroft, an ace from freshman Maja Ruduloph followed by an FDU hitting error seemed to give the Hornets the inside track at 13-10.  But the swing shifted right back as two kills and two stuff blocks pulled the Knights ahead at 14-13.  The Hornets then got a stuff of their own from Wheatcroft and Joyner to pull even at 14, fighting off the first of what would be four match points for Fairleigh Dickinson. By now the buzz around the Lafayette Gym was palpable, and it would only increase from there

At 16-15 DSU, it seemed Tajchman had ended the marathon with a kill off the block, but the chair ruled no FDU player had touched it before it landed out of bounds, and despite the protests from the red and blue, play continued even at 16.  A tandem block gave FDU the "mini-break" at 17-16, and the sides would trade points until 19 all.  But it was the senior Joyner that put the match away with a kill on an overpass that came right to her middle hitter position, and a roof block that sent the Delaware State bench erupting.