LAKEWOOD, N.J. - - The Wilmington University volleyball team opened its 2025 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference campaign with a 3-2 victory at Georgian Court on Wednesday night inside the Wellness Center.
Set scores for the match were 20-25, 25-18, 25-17, 17-25, and 15-8.
It is just the third time since the 2015 season that the Wildcats defeated the Lions in Lakewood, doing so in the 2015 and 2021 seasons.
The Wildcats (2-5, 1-0 CACC) were leading the first set, 11-9, before the Lions (2-5, 0-1 CACC) went on a 10-4 run to take a 19-15 lead. The Wildcats got back-to-back points, but the Lions scored three straight and had a 5-2 run overall to earn set point, 24-18.
The second set was tied 7-7 before the Wildcats took control with four straight points en route to an 8-1 run. A block from Christine Covello and Cassidy Miller gave the Wildcats a 19-11 lead and then two kills from Karla Nunez-Rivera and an error put the Wildcats in front, 23-15. Eliza Schneider tied the match with a kill, 25-18.
The Wildcats got off to a fast start in the third set, going on a 5-0 run, capped by back-to-back aces from Addison Hoover for a 9-2 lead. Three more points gave the Wildcats a 12-3 lead as well. The Lions tried to crawl back into the contest, getting as close as 15-12 before the Wildcats used another 5-1 spurt to move ahead 20-13. A Cassidy Miller kills gave the Wildcats set point before Karla Nunez-Rivera gave the Wildcats a 2-1 lead with a kill, 25-17.
The Lions battled back in the fourth set though, using an 11-4 run to take a 19-10 lead. The teams traded points with the Wildcats only able to get as close as 22-15 before the Lions evened the match, 25-17.
The Wildcats jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the fifth set and then scored four in a row during a 6-1 run to take over the set. Kills from Cassidy Miller and Eliza Schneider gave the Wildcats a 12-5 lead. The teams traded points the rest of the way, with Chelsea Blaine-Agett putting down a match-ending kill.
Karla Nunez-Rivera led the Wildcats with 18 kills, nine digs, and two aces, while Eliza Schneider finished with 15 kills, five digs, and six blocks (two solo). Cassidy Miller had 10 kills with only one error, hitting .450 for the match. She also had seven digs and six blocks. Christine Covello dished out 23 assists while Morgan Daniels led the back line with 17 digs. The Wildcats out blocked the Lions, 13-2, for the match.
The Wildcats host the 2025 Wildcat Regional Invitational this weekend to kick off their home slate. They play Franklin Pierce (11:00 a.m.) and Adelphi (7:00 p.m.) on Friday at the WU Athletics Complex.