Sept. 14, 2006
Box Score
EASTON, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) - Carrying over momentum from Wednesday nights' comeback win over La Salle, the Lafayette volleyball team blanked Delaware State, 3-0, on Thursday night at Kirby Sports Center.
Lafayette (4-4) fell behind by only one point early in game three, but led or tied the Hornets for the remainder of the match (30-21, 30-15, 30-19).
The Leopards made a statement early in game one, with a Michaela Donohue service ace followed by a kill at the hands of senior tri-captain Veronica Canto-Ponce to put Lafayette ahead 2-0. Four straight kills, two each by Donohue and freshman Ashton Rossi, put Lafayette in the driver's seat, 12-8, midway through the action. The Leopards never looked back, as they held at least a six point lead the rest of the way to win the first game, 30-21.
Again the Leopards settled into game two, as senior middle Shannon Fisher served for four straight points to put her team ahead 7-2. The Leopards maintained a healthy lead throughout the meat of the game. Donohue provided even more distance with five straight service points, including one of her three aces on the night, to put Lafayette in front, 23-9. Holding a 25-15 lead following a kill from sophomore Ainhoa Barturen, the Leopards held Delaware State scoreless to take the game, 30-25. A pair of Canto-Ponce kills, along with strikes from Donohue and Rossi highlighted the stretch.
The Hornets made things interesting in game three, taking a 5-4 that would not last long. Canto-Ponce's jump serve gave the Hornets trouble and allowed the Leopards to jump back in front 10-6 after kills from Donohue and freshman Melissa VanCak. With Lafayette leading 16-9, Delaware State came up with three unanswered points to pull within four, 16-12. Canto-Ponce countered with a kill, and Lafayette would never let the Hornets back in the door. Fisher closed the match with an untouched kill from Rossi as the scoreboard read 30-19.
Lafayette boasted a .291 hitting percentage on the night, including a .406 mark in game three. Canto-Ponce (.462) and Donohue (.407) tallied 16 and 13 kills, respectively, while Fisher managed seven. Donohue completed her first double-double of the season with 11 digs, while teammate Kari Horn registered a match-high 17.
The Leopards have the weekend off and head to Staten Island, N.Y. to take on Wagner next Tuesday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m.
