BLOOMFIELD, N.J. - - Led by its middle hitters, the Wilmington University volleyball team defeated Bloomfield, 3-1, on Saturday afternoon in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference action inside The Gym.
Set scores for the match were 25-13, 20-25, 25-19, and 25-21.
Sophomore Shannen Litten paced the Wildcats with a career best 16 kills while only committing one error on 26 attempts. She hit .577 for the match while adding three block assists and a solo block. Fellow middle hitter Dorie Moore collected seven kills on 18 swings without committing an error, hitting .389 for the match. The pair had 23 of the team's 48 kills in the victory.
The Wildcats (10-8, 4-3 CACC) used a 10-0 run in the first set to jump out to a large lead, 14-5. Another 5-2 run put the Wildcats ahead, 20-9, before they scored five of the final seven points to end the set, getting back-to-back kills from Brice Hansen to win, 25-13.
Bloomfield (1-8, 1-6 CACC) turned an 11-9 deficit into a 20-16 advantage before scoring four straight to earn set point, 24-18. The Wildcats saved two set points, but the Bears closed out the game, 25-20, to even the match, 1-1.
The Wildcats were able to string multiple small runs together in the third set, using 3-0 runs to take leads of 13-10 and 18-12 lead. A Karalyn Osborne block and an Elly Collins ace forced Bloomfield into a timeout before the Wildcats scored two more points to earn set point, 24-15. The Bears saved four set points before Shannen Litten gave the Wildcats the set with a kill, 25-19.
The Wildcats needed to rally late in the fourth set to take the match, as a 6-1 Bears run gave the home team a 15-12 lead. The teams were trading points as the Bears took a 20-19 lead. Shannen Litten put down back-to-back points to give the Wildcats the lead, 21-20, and then back-to-back Bears errors gave the Wildcats a 23-21 lead. Out of a Bears' timeout, Shannen Litten put down and kill and then Brice Hansen ended the match with a kill, 25-21.
Brice Hansen had 14 kills as well for the Wildcats, adding 10 digs for the double-double. Katie Bushong dished out 42 assists while Elly Collins led the defense with 19 digs.
The Wildcats play their final two nonconference games this week, starting with Bloomsburg on the road on Tuesday night. The match against the Huskies is slated for a 7:00 p.m. start.