NEWARK, Del. - - The Wilmington University volleyball team closed out the 2025 Wildcat Regional Invitational with a 3-0 sweep of Roberts Wesleyan on Saturday night, going 1-1 on the day and 2-2 for the tournament at the WU Athletics Complex.
Set scores against Daemen were 20-25, 25-18, 30-32, and 14-25.
Set scores against Roberts Wesleyan were 25-22, 25-21, and 25-22.
Match vs. Daemen:
The third set swung the momentum of the match, and the Wildcats fought to gain four set points, but it was Daemen that stole the set and ultimately the match.
The Wildcats scored the final four points of the second set to tie the match, 1-1, and then raced out to a 7-2 lead in the third set. The Wildcats led 19-13 and 21-16 but then Daemen battled back with a 5-0 run, eventually taking a 23-22 lead. Wilmington saved a set point to tie the game, 24-24, and then a had set point at 26-25. They would also have set points at 28-27, 29-28, and 30-39, but Daemen answered all the calls, and then scored the final three points to take the third set, 32-30.
Daemen then took the momentum into the fourth set, taking a 10-3 lead in the early going. Another 6-1 run put Daemen up 16-6. The Wildcats closed the gap to as few as 17-12, but then Daemen closed out the match by scoring eight of the last 10 points, including the final four.
Karla Nunez-Rivera led the team with nine kills and eight digs. Eliz Schneider had seven kills as well. Haley Holland led the team with 10 digs while Christine Covello dished out 13 assists. Cassidy Miller and Chelsea Blaine-Agett led with four blocks each.
Match vs. Roberts Wesleyan:
The Wildcats got the middle hitters involved in the final match of the Wildcat Regional Invitational as Cassidy Miller and Chelsea Blaine-Agett combined for 19 kills and only one error.
The Wildcats used a 5-0 run to take a 14-6 lead in the first set. The Redhawks tried getting back into the set by scoring four straight to get within 23-21, but Addison Hoover ended the set with a kill, 25-22.
Trailing 10-8, the Wildcats went on a 9-1 run, turning the set around to lead 17-11. The Redhawks fought to within 22-20 but kills from Blaine-Agett and Miller gave the Wildcats set point, 24-20. Karla Nunez-Rivera put the set away with a kill, 25-21.
Roberts Wesleyan led for the majority of the third set, taking as large as a 16-12 lead. A 5-1 run for the Wildcats brought them back into the set, eventually taking a 21-20 lead. Tied 21-21, the Wildcats got kills from Blaine-Agett and Schneider, and then another kill from Schneider out of a timeout for match point, 24-21.
Cassidy Miller had 10 kills without committing an error on 15 swings, hitting .667 for the match. Chelsea Blaine-Agett had nine kills with one error on 12 swings, also hitting .667 for the match. Eliza Schneider had 10 kills as well for the Wildcats. Haley Holland and Addison Hoover led with 12 digs while Christine Covello dished out 24 assists.
Up Next:
The Wildcats remain home this week, returning to Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference action at the WU Athletics Complex. Holy Family returns to Newark on Tuesday night before Caldwell comes to town on Saturday for Homecoming. Tuesday night's game is set for a 7:00 p.m. first serve.
