MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Freshman
Elizabeth Osborn registered 17 kills and narrowly missed her first career double-double with nine digs as the La Salle University volleyball team defeated BIG EAST member DePaul, 3-1 (23-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-18) on Saturday. Junior
Kathryn Wood had 43 assists and 14 digs, marking the fifth straight match she has recorded a double-double, and was named to the all-tournament team.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Explorers dropped a tight first game, falling by a 25-23 margin before bouncing back in the second.
- DePaul led by a 10-7 margin in the stanza before four straight points swung momentum in La Salle's favor.
- Osborn had a kill in the sequence while sophomore Samantha Graver had a kill of her own and a service ace.
- The Blue Demons nudged in front by a score of 15-13, but the Explorers scored six straight with the final two coming via kills from junior Devin Corah.
- La Salle had a pair of match points denied by DePaul before Corah clinched the game and tied the match score at 1-1 with a kill.
- With DePaul clinging to a 12-11 lead in the third game, the Explorers reeled off eight straight to take control.
- The margin never dipped under three the rest of the way, as La Salle took a 2-1 lead.
- Senior Jensen Sharrits played a key role in the pivotal stretch of the fourth set, as her three aces were part of a run of eight straight points that put the Explorers on top 15-4.Â
- From there, La Salle cruised to the fourth-game win to secure the victory.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- La Salle tallied eight aces on the match, compared to two for DePaul.
- Sharrits totaled a team-high 25 digs.
- The Explorers hit .224 for the match, while the Blue Demons were held to .173Â hitting.
UP NEXT
- The La Salle Invitational will begin on Friday, Sept. 7, beginning at 4:30 p.m.
- The Explorers will host NJIT, Kent State and Rider over two days at Tom Gola Arena at TruMark Financial Center.
- La Salle's first match is scheduled for Friday at 7:00 p.m. against NJIT, and the match will be shown live on ESPN+ (subscription required).