Blue Demons Stumble Against West Virginia

West Virginia 3, DePaul 0

CHICAGO --  Senior Ellen Hayes registered a double-double, but it was not enough as the DePaul volleyball team dropped a 3-0 (33-31, 30-26, 30-28) BIG EAST match to West Virginia, Saturday at McGrath Arena.  The Mountaineers snapped an eight match slide to improve to 3-27 and 2-11 in league play, while the Blue Demons fall to 5-24 and are 0-13 in conference play.

The match was highlighted by long rallies and 30 tie scores as each game was highly contested until the final points.  Seniors Deane Gibson, Morgan Ingersoll and Hayes all finished with double-digit kill totals for the Blue Demons.  Gibson led all players with 11 kills and a .333 attack percentage, while Ingersoll and Hayes each chipped in 10 kills.  Hayes led the defense with 19 digs, while sophomore Caitlin Callaghan and freshman Sarah Cullen each chipped in 16 digs. 

West Virginia won the first game 33-31, registering 18 kills for a .131 attack percentage.  The Blue Demons were unable to find in offensive rhythm in the game as they hit a dismal .019 but stayed in the game because of five costly Mountaineer service errors.  UWV took a 18-14, but DePaul junior Stacy Pando served for four straight points, including two service aces, to knot the game at 18.   The teams continued to trade sideouts until the Mountaineers won the game on back-to-back DePaul attack errors.

The Blue Demons recorded a match-high 17 kills and a .232 attack percentage in the second set; but West Virginia used 19 kills to take the frame 30-26.  Gibson was unstoppable in the second set as she terminated six balls for a .462 attack percentage.

The final frame saw 12 ties and five lead changes but it was UWV that took the game and match 30-28.  Down 16-17, Pando's serving again gave the Blue Demons a boost as she served for four consecutive points and a 20-17 advantage.  The Mountaineers countered the Blue Demon's push with a 11-8 run to tie the frame at 28.  UWV agains capitalized on back-to-back DePaul attack errors to win the game and match. 

Abby Tevis led the Mountaineers with 10 kills and 10 digs.  Aurora Ebert-Santos led all players with 23 digs in the contest.

DePaul concludes the season on Sunday, welcoming Pittsburgh to McGrath Arena for a BIG EAST showdown at 2 p.m.  Following the match, the Blue Demons bid farewell to the class of 2006 including: Aly Zavitz, Gibson, Hayes, and Ingersoll. 

DePaul University Athletics

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