NEWARK — Two of the top volleyball programs in Delaware got together on Oct. 9, and three sets were not enough to decide a winner. Neither was four. Newark Charter and Saint Mark’s went the distance, five sets, before the host Patriots pulled away for a win in the fifth. Set scores were 22-25, 25-21, 21-25, 25-22, and 15-6.
The marathon pitted the Spartans, who entered the night ranked third in the state by 302 Sports, and No. 4 Newark Charter. Saint Mark’s created a bit of space in the first set, going ahead, 17-14, on a Patriots hitting error. An attack from Newark Charter’s Aria Hoff ended a 5-0 Spartans run, but shortly thereafter, Caitlin Hoban blocked an attack to give Saint Mark’s a 20-16 advantage.
Consecutive kills from Gia Pezzullo put the Spartans in a good spot, up 24-18, but Newark Charter proceeded to save four set points. With the large crowd, including a significant number of Newark Charter students, buzzing, the Spartans called a timeout. Pezzullo ended the set with a cross that found the floor.
Hoff had a big second set as the Patriots equalized. She gave her team a 7-6 lead with a bomb, and a few points later she delivered an ace that made it 9-7. Later in the set, Kennedy Pavlekovich added an ace for the Patriots that extended their lead to 18-13. Saint Mark’s scored four straight, however, with Hoban getting two of those. This time, it was the Patriots who went ahead, 24-18, with the Spartans saving three set points. Zhara Pritchett ended the set with one of her 11 kills.
The match continued neck and neck into the third. The teams were tied, 11-11, when Maya Frohnapfel put the Spartans in the lead with an attack off the Newark Charter block. Adrianna Morris then added a block for Saint Mark’s. Their lead grew to six at 20-14. Pritchett sent a blast down the middle to get the Patriots to within three at 24-21, but Morris blasted another shot off the defenders’ hands. Saint Mark’s had a 2-1 lead.
Saint Mark’s was up, 16-12, when Newark Charter regained the serve and sent Pavlekovich to the service line. Over the course of the next seven points, she had four aces, and by the time Newark Charter lost the serve, they led, 22-16. The Spartans cut a six-point deficit to two late in the set, but Mia Preradovich knocked an attack off the Saint Mark’s block to end the set and tie the match.
With the match now stretching past the two-hour mark, the Patriots struck first in the fifth set on a block by Pritchett. She added another, and Julia Hanson added an ace off the tape to get the Patriots off to a good start.
Pezzullo got one back for Saint Mark’s, but Pritchett took a might swing to send the momentum back to Charter. She and Pavlekovich alternated scoring for a few points, and Hoff added a block and an attack to get the shortened final set to 10-2. The Spartans did run off three straight points, with Frohnapfel responsible for two of them, but Newark Charter answered with four of its own. Preradovic ended the long battle with her final kill.
Pavlekovich had 16 kills, five aces and 25 assists for Newark Charter, and Pritchett contributed 11 kills and nine blocks. Newark Charter improved to 9-1 and will visit Middletown on Oct. 13 at 5:15 p.m.
Saint Mark’s (8-3) will play its four remaining matches at home, beginning Oct. 14 vs. Caravel at 7:15 p.m.
Photos by Mike Lang.
