WEST CHESTER, Pa. - - The Wilmington University volleyball team picked up its first victory of the 2024 season, capping off the PSAC East Kickoff Tournament with a 3-1 victory over West Chester after dropping a close five-setter to California (Pa.) earlier in the day inside the Hollinger Fieldhouse.
Set scores against California (Pa.) were 23-25, 27-25, 20-25, 25-22, and 13-15.
Set scores against West Chester were 25-18, 18-25, 25-22, and 25-20.
Match against California (Pa.)
Four Wildcats recorded 14 or more kills in the match against the Vulcans, led by freshman Karla Nunez-Rivera with 18 while hitting .400 for the match. Classmate Eliza Schneider had 17 kills while Alex Serna and Karalyn Osborne chipped in with 14 kills each as well.
In the fifth and deciding set, the Wildcats jumped out to a 5-3 lead after back-to-back aces from Nunez-Rivera and an Osborne kill, but the Vulcans made the turn with an 8-6 lead. Trailing 11-8, the Wildcats fought back with kills from Nunez-Rivera and Gianna Braxton, tying the set at 11-11. The teams traded points with Osborne tying the set, 13-13, but then the Vulcans came up with back-to-back kills to end the set, 15-13, and the match, 3-2.
Cam Justus dished out 32 assists while adding two aces and nine digs. Claudia Melendez dished out 24 assists to go with 11 digs and two aces. Gabby Barth led the back row with 28 digs in the match. Gianna Braxton finished with three block assists.
Match against West Chester
Four Wildcats hit .400 or better against the Golden Rams, including three that hit better than .500 with eight or more kills. Shannen Litten collected eight kills without committing an error on 12 swings for a .667 attack percentage while fellow middle Alex Serna had nine kills with one error on 16 attempts to hit .500. Crystal Creek put down 10 kills with two errors on only 13 swings, hitting at a .615 clip. Karla Nunez-Rivera led the team with 13 kills while only committing two errors on 27 attempts for a .407 attack percentage.
With the match tied, 1-1, West Chester used a 5-0 run to tie the fourth set, 17-17, and again at 18-18. The Wildcats used kills from Schneider and Creek in a 3-0 run to take control of the set, adding back-to-back blocks to make it 23-19. West Chester cut it to 24-22 before Crystal Creek ended it with a kill, 25-22.
West Chester held a 20-19 lead in the fourth set before back-to-back blocks sparked a 4-0 spurt for the Wildcats. Shannen Litten then put down a kill followed by yet another block by Osborne and Litten to give the Wildcats match point, 24-19. Shannen Litten then gave the Wildcats their first win of the year with a kill, 25-20.
Karla Nunez-Rivera picked up her first double-double of her career with 16 digs while Gabby Barth led all Wildcats with 17. Cam Justus led with 22 assists while Claudia Melendez added 21 and six digs. Litten finished with five block assists on the night.
Up Next
The Wildcats come home and prepare for the Wildcats Regional Invitational next weekend at the WU Athletics Complex. They start with Southern New Hampshire on Friday morning at 9:00 a.m.