Sacred Heart University Department of Athletics
(5-5)
Delaware
(7-6)
Kemper Leads Pioneers to Sweep of Delaware
9/19/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
PITTSBURGH, PA (September 19, 2014)—Tori Kemper (Banks, Ore.) led the Sacred Heart women's volleyball team to Friday night's sweep of the University of Delaware(25-22, 25-20, 27-25) with 12 kills. Banks was just one of three Pioneers to reach double-digit kills. Sophomore Sarah Krufka (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) and rookie Makayla Dole (Cypress, Calif.) tallied 11 kills each as SHU improves to an even 5-5 on the first night of the Pittsburgh Panther Classic.
After the Pioneers jumped out to an early lead in the first set, the Blue Hens came back to tie the game at six and take the lead. SHU chipped away at UD's lead, and with three-straight points tied the game again at 20. The teams exchanged points, and with the score knotted at 22, a Blue Hen attack error put the Pioneers just two points from taking the first set. A pair of aces from Krufka was all it took to give Sacred Heart the 25-22 win.
Katie Direnzo's (Shelton, Conn.) three-point service run early in the second set boosted the Pioneers to a 4-2 that they held onto throughout the set. Up 9-6, a six-point run facilitated by Ana Gonzalez's (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) strong serving, improved Sacred Heart's lead to 15-6. A sneak attack from setter Marie Zimmerman (Denver, Colo.) sealed the 25-20 win for SHU going into the break.
Sacred Heart came out strong in the third set maintaining the lead from the get-go. But with the Pioneers leading 23-21, four consecutive SHU errors put the Blue Hens at set-point and forced Sacred Heart Head Coach Rob Machan to call a timeout. Coming out of the break, the teams exchanged points, but with the score knotted at 25, Kemper and Krufka slammed back-to-back kills to give the Pioneers to win.
SHU continues the Pittsburgh Panther Classic tomorrow when they face the Panthers at 12:30 p.m. and South Florida at 4:30 p.m.
