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PIKE CREEK, Del. – Without its star setter Monica Dempsey, a disoriented Goldey-Beacom College volleyball squad dropped a 3-1 decision against Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference foe, Chestnut Hill on Thurs. night at Youth Volleyball Night at the Joseph West Jones Center.
The Lightning (3-3, 0-2 CACC) won the first set 25-18, but went on to lose the next three, 25-16, 26-24 and 25-22, respectively. GBC gave a valiant effort in both the third and fourth sets, but the Griffins (1-7, 1-2 CACC), determined to get their first win of the season, came out on top both games to secure the match victory.
Junior Roni Shaner did a terrific job filling in for Dempsey at setter as she directed the Lightning offense with team-highs of 22 assists and two service aces to go with a team-high 11 digs. She also had two kills on three attack attempts (.667 hitting percentage) for the night.
Sophomore Renee DeLeo had a very productive night in head coach Rich Bowers' adjusted starting line-up as she recorded career-highs of seven kills and seven digs. Junior Rebecca Stoffer was equally productive from the middle-hitter spot with a season-high seven kills and three blocks (two solo).
The six-foot tall, sophomore middle-hitter Catherine Howard also gave a great performance for the Lightning with four blocks (two solo) and five kills.
GBC fell down 3-0 in the first set, but went on a 6-0 run from there and never trailed in the game from that point on. The Lightning, who hit 12 kills to just four errors as a team (.276 hitting percentage) closed out the set by scoring the final three points.
The second set, however, is when things began to deteriorate for Goldey-Beacom. With just seven kills and six errors (.040 hitting percentage), the Lightning let Chestnut Hill even the match score at one with a 25-16 loss.
Tight play continued into the third set, with the Griffins edging out the Lightning, 26-24 after GBC had climbed back from a 21-13 hole to take a 24-22 lead. Chestnut Hill, with their backs up against the wall, earned the set victory with a 4-0 run at the very end.
The Griffins finished off the Lightning in the fourth set, 25-22. GBC, even after an extremely tough loss in the third set, showed no quit in the final set as they led for most of the way.
The Lightning had multiple three-point leads (10-7, 13-10, 16-13) but the Griffins kept coming back and eventually took a 17-16 lead before Bowers called a timeout to settle his team down.
With the set knotted at 19, Chestnut Hill went on a 5-0 run and forced Bowers to call another timeout with his team facing match point.
GBC rallied for three straight points to close the gap to 24-22, but the Griffins were able to close out the match on a Cassie Benson kill.
Benson was dominant all night for the Griffins, recording a game-high 15 kills and three solo blocks for the night. Her hitting percentage was an impressive .429 (15 kills, six errors, 21 TA).
Alex DePalama (11 kills, four service aces, nine digs) and Courtney Gallo (29 assists, four service aces) also led the way for the Griffins.
The Lightning will try to bounce back on Sat. when they host University of the District of Columbia in non-league action at the Jones Center starting at 1 p.m.
