CLAYMONT — Archmere’s volleyball team overcame a deficit in the first set, then grew stronger as the night progressed in a 3-0 victory over Dover in the DIAA state volleyball tournament on Nov. 5 at Mogila Fieldhouse. The Auks, seeded fourth, won by scores of 25-20, 25-18, and 25-16.
They will play the fifth seed, Caravel, on Tuesday at Saint Mark’s. The Auks swept the Buccaneers when they met on Oct. 14.
The No, 20 Senators, coming off an upset of Cape Henlopen in the opening round, created some space between themselves and the Auks in the first after a tight start. An ace by Jasmine Hallum put Dover ahead, 14-10, and the lead remained at four thanks to back-to-back kills from Mercades Hallum and Mila Milstead.
After a timeout, the Auks began the comeback. A 5-1 run, capped by a service error, tied the score at 19, and another error put Archmere in the lead for the first time since it was 5-4. Abby Garcia sent a tap to the end line to push the advantage to 23-19, and the set ended on a Senators attack error.
A 4-0 run started on a Kenyatta Williams cross helped the Senators to a 5-1 lead in the second, and the visitors held off the Auks for a few more points. A Dover service error, however, cut the Senators’ lead to 10-7 and started the surge for the Auks.
Ava Beach crushed a kill, and four straight unforced errors led to a 13-10 Auks lead and a Dover timeout. Alanah Weaver picked up a kill, and the Auks added one more before the 9-0 run ended. The Senators got the deficit down to a single point three times before the Auks pulled away, with Garcia killing three straight and Jessica Lattanzi smacking one straight down. Cece Connolly had consecutive hard kills to get it to set point, and Katie Kuehl won it with a crossing shot from a sharp angle that tucked inside the right sideline.
Dover took a 7-6 lead in the third on a Elizabeth Baughman kill, but that would be their last point for a stretch. Kuehl delivered three aces during a 10-0 run that also included kills for Beach and Garcia.
Lattanzi smoked one to make it 23-15, and Connolly followed with a block. The teams traded service errors, with Dover’s ending the match.
Final statistics were not available early Sunday morning. The Auks improved to 13-3. Dover concluded its season with a 9-8 record.
All photos by Jason Winchell.
