NEWARK, Del. - After opening the season with a 3-0 victory over Morgan State on Friday, the La Salle volleyball team suffered a pair of setbacks as the Explorers concluded the Delaware Classic on Saturday. La Salle dropped a 3-0 decision to Villanova (25-11, 28-26, 25-21) in the first match before falling just short in a 3-1 (22-25, 26-24, 25-20, 25-23) defeat to Delaware in the second match. Senior Jensen Sharrits was named to the All-Tournament Team after totaling 68 digs over three matches.

Villanova 3, La Salle 0
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Explorers got off to a slow start against the Wildcats, falling behind by double digits in the opening set before Villanova closed out the set, 25-11.
• The Explorers and Wildcats battled back-and-forth in the second set, with 15 lead changes in the frame.
• Freshman Elizabeth Osborn gave La Salle an early 12-9 lead, capping off a 3-0 run with a kill, before the Explorers pushed the advantage to 15-10 with another 3-0 run culminating in a kill by sophomore Samantha Graver, and La Salle remained on top, 17-13, after a kill from junior Devin Corah.
• Villanova came back in the second, going on a 6-2 run to take a 20-19 lead, but three kills from Osborn and two from Corah tied the match at 26-26.
• The Wildcats scored the next two points, however, to take a two-set lead.
• La Salle held an 11-8 lead in the third set, but Villanova followed with an 8-0 run to go on top, 16-11.
• The Explorers answered with a 4-0 run and later came with two down the stretch, but the Wildcats held their advantage and closed out the match with a 25-21 set win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Graver registered a double-double with 12 kills and 13 digs, as did junior Kathryn Wood, who posted 36 assists and 11 digs.
• Corah had a match-high 14 kills, while Osborn had 11 kills, nine digs and three service aces.
• Villanova put forth a .328 kill percentage, while La Salle hit at a .242 clip.

Delaware 3, La Salle 1
HOW IT HAPPENED

• La Salle fell behind 5-2 and still trailed by three at 7-4 before finding its rhythm and using a 6-2 run to go on top by two behind a pair of Osborn kills.
• Delaware hung tight and took a 15-14 lead before La Salle went on a 7-2 run to regain control, 21-17, forcing a Blue Hens timeout.
• The Blue Hens followed with a 5-1 run to tie the set at 22 apiece, but an Osborn kill and two Delaware attack errors propelled the Explorers to a 25-22 set win for a 1-0 match lead.
• The second set was a battle all the way to the very end, though the Explorers led for nearly the entire set.
• Osborn put La Salle up by three early on with a kill, and after a pair of errors by Delaware, the Explorers led by five at 13-8.
• The Blue Hens chipped away, however, and took the lead, 19-18, to force the Explorers to take a timeout.
• La Salle gathered itself and was one point away from a 2-0 match lead at 24-21, but two kills by Maria Bellinger and three Explorers errors allowed Delaware to steal the set, 26-24.
• Delaware used the momentum from the second set into the third frame as the Blue Hens forced the Explorers to play from behind the entire set, leading to a 25-20 win and a 2-1 lead for the tournament host.
• La Salle hung close throughout the fourth set and eventually tied things up at 19 all after a kill by Corah and an ace from Osborn.
• Junior Catherine Edgington capped off a 3-0 run and gave La Salle its first lead of the set at 22-21, but Delaware ended the match on a 4-1 run to take the victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Three Explorers recorded double doubles in the contest in Wood, Graver and Corah.
• Wood notched a season-high 45 assists, while senior Jensen Sharrits also had a season high in digs with 31.
• Bellinger led all players with 21 kills for the Blue Hens.

UP NEXT

• The Explorers will head to the Central Michigan Invitational next, where they will take on host Central Michigan at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 31, followed by a 5 p.m. match against Valparaiso.