WILMINGTON – Delcastle got up on Saint Mark’s early in the first set, and the Cougars kept the Spartans at bay in a 3-0 sweep in the season opener for both teams on March 24 at Delcastle. Set scores were 25-12, 25-13 and 25-11.
Delcastle took advantage of a few Saint Mark’s unforced errors to take an 8-3 lead in the opening set, but the Spartans stayed within five for a while, the last time after a kill that made it 12-7. But the Cougars rallied after that and took the set handily.
The second set was tied, 2-2, before the Cougars took control. They scored 11 of the next 12 points to take a 13-3 lead, although Saint Mark’s bounced back with a run of its own. The Spartans had two aces and a big kill during a stretch that closed the Delcastle lead to 14-8. But the Cougars stopped the Spartans’ momentum and ended the set with a smash.
The Cougars opened the third with a 5-0 lead, including an ace, before a Saint Mark’s hitter stuffed an overpass to get the Spartans on the board. Delcastle had no intention of playing beyond a third set. They streaked to a 17-5 lead before Saint Mark’s scored a bit, but a backhand from closed out the match.
Kyle Stetter led the Cougars with seven kills, while Yorel Stephens and Elijah Davis each had five. Delcastle (1-0) travels to Odessa on Wednesday for a 5:15 p.m. start.
Statistics for the Spartans were not available late Monday night. Saint Mark’s (0-1) is home Wednesday against Salesianum.
Photos by Mike Lang.
