Delaware Falls To Penn State, 3-0, In NCAA Tournament
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (Dec. 4, 2011) - - There is a reason the #9 Penn State volleyball team is the four-time defending national champions, and they showed why in the second round of the 2011 NCAA Division I Volleyball Championships on Saturday night.
The University of Delaware volleyball ended its history making season with a 3-0 setback to the no. 8 seed and host Nittany Lions inside Rec Hall.
It was only the second time in program history the Blue Hens (21-13) made their way to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and the first time since 2007.
Set scores for the match were 25-12, 25-9, and 25-8.
"They are really good," head coach Bonnie Kenny said after leading the Blue Hens to their fourth NCAA Tournament appearances in five seasons. "That is the best spot hitting team we played against this year. We didn't respond as well as I would hope in our serve receive. But credit Penn State. I think we are capable of competing better against them, I'm not quite sure we are capable of beating them yet."
With the loss, Renee Tomko and Kim Stewart end their careers in a Blue Hens uniform. Tomko and Stewart are responsible for three Colonial Athletic Association regular season titles, three CAA Tournament Championships and three NCAA Tournament appearances.
"That's a tough way to end a good year; especially with two really competitive seniors who were tough and worked hard," a deflated Kenny continued. "I hate to send Renee and Kim out like that. We played against a storied program. To me, Russ Rose is like the John Wooden of basketball. They are a very good team and a great program. And unfortunately we didn't perform on a really good stage. You don't get too many opportunities like this in your career."
Alissa Alker, Katie Hank and Chelsea Lawrence each led the Blue Hens with five kills apiece, while Stewart finished with four. Tomko passed out 18 assists on the night, while Cara Rosehill and Stewart each had a team-high eight kills.
