EASTON, Pa. - The Leopards wrapped up the Maroon and White Classic on Sunday afternoon at Kirby Sports Center, collecting a 3-2 victory over Delaware.
Auma Mbeche-Odhiambo (15) and Justine Puig (11) were Lafayette's team leaders in kills, while Mackenzie Calhoun and Sophia Wilson notched 22 and 16 kills, respectively. Defensively, Alyssa Chu collected 43 service receptions. The Maroon and White were responsible for 49 kills, paced by Destiny McKenzie, with five.Â
Lafayette and Delaware traded scores early in the first set, with the visitors pulling ahead, 8-6. The Blue Hens committed a costly attack error, kickstarting a Lafayette run of four-consecutive points (10-8). During the stretch, Mbeche-Odhiambo accounted for two service aces. Shortly after, the Leopards used a five-point spurt to break a 14-14 tie, thanks to a trio of attack errors by the Blue Hens. Delaware refused to go away quietly, capturing six of the next seven points to regain a 20-19 advantage. The teams remained deadlocked at 23 before Grace Jamison and Calhoun wrapped up a 25-23 first set with a kill and service ace.
After dropping set one, Delaware rallied back to take the second set, 25-23. Delaware's Anna Logan Gillens tallied five of her team's 14 kills in the stanza. Kennedi Inman recorded 12 of her 52 assists during the set. For the Leopards, Puig (4) led the team in kills, followed by Mbeche-Odhiambo (3) and McKenzie (3).Â
The third set opened with Lafayette and Delaware splitting the first 30 points, 15-15. The Leopards broke the tie over the next five points, thanks two kills from Noa Kamphuis and a service ace from Mbeche-Odhiambo (19-16). Lafayette attack errors immediately followed, granting Delaware three points and a 19-19 tie. The two teams swapped points before Delaware gained a 23-22 lead. The Maroon and White had an answer for the visitors, with a Puig kill and a Delaware attack error, giving Lafayette a 24-23 lead. The Blue Hens tied the score once again, but back-to-back attack errors concluded the set, 26-24, in favor of the Leopards.
A Delaware 25-22 fourth-set victory forced a fifth and final set to determine a victor. Logan Gillens was once again a driving force for her squad, racking up seven kills and recording a blistering .600 hitting percentage.
Lafayette was dominant in the fifth set, winning 15-7. The Leopards knocked down seven kills and committed one attack error, in comparison to Delaware's five kills and six errors. Five of the final six points went to the Leopards, putting a bow on a 3-2 match win.
The Leopards' next time on the court comes at the Big Apple Tournament on Sept. 4-5.
To keep up with the Lafayette volleyball team, follow its social media pages.
X/@LafColVBall | Instagram/@lafayette_vb | Facebook/GoLeopards
