.png&width=24&type=webp)
Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Delaware
Players Mentioned
Delaware Sweeps Volleyball Team In 2009 Season Opener
September 04, 2009 | Women's Volleyball
If it wasn't tough enough that Jolie Ward had to begin her Princeton career with a lineup that featured only three starters from last season and only one from the 2007 championship year, she also had to do it against the team that eliminated the Tigers from the 2007 NCAA tournament. Princeton fell to Delaware 3-0 in its opening match of the season and will play both Rutgers and Army Saturday at the Delaware Invitational.
Sophomore Cathryn Quinn recorded a team-best six kills, while senior co-captain Sheena Donohue added 11 digs, but those efforts wouldn't be enough against an experienced Blue Hen squad that already had three matches under its belt. Delaware took the match 25-14, 25-13, 25-11 to improve to 2-2 on the season, while Princeton will look for its first victory Saturday at 1 against Rutgers. The weekend finale will be a 5:00 match against Army.
Ward had talked about using the opening weekends to test different lineups and find a strong chemistry before Ivy League play began on Oct. 3. While she will be looking for different results, Ward was able to see all four of her freshmen play. One of the match starters was setter Molly Bagshaw, who recorded 16 assists and four digs in the match, while another was Lydia Bagshaw, who killed three balls as a starting outside hitter. Middles Jennifer Palmquist and Polly Korbel also saw time on the court.
A kill from Palmquist, who joined classmates Bagshaw and Rudnick in the starting lineup, gave Princeton a 3-1 lead early in the first set. That would be the final two-point lead Princeton would have for the match, as the Blue Hens finally took a lead at 5-4 and never looked back. The hosts built big leads midway through the first and second sets and won 12 of the first 13 points in the third set to put the match away.