Cape volleyball downs the Royals 3-1

The Cape volleyball team defeated Delmarva Christian 3-1 Sept. 9 in Georgetown. 

The Royals jumped out to an early lead, winning the first set 25-19. But Delmarva Christian couldn’t keep the momentum going, as the Vikings took the next three sets 25-15, 25-13 and 25-20.

Kali Lawson led the Lady Vikings with 13 kills and 10 digs, while setter Megan Smith put up 29 assists. Senior Harlee Graulich made 16 digs.

“We kept the energy up as always,” said Graulich. “That definitely brought us the momentum to win. Our mindset was we’re not losing this match.”

“We discussed it in the huddle, and we said the first set is over and we’re not going to lose,” said senior Tatum Friend.

“Overall, our game plan didn’t change after the first set,” said Cape coach Tyler Coupe. “We wanted to improve our first touch. In the first set, we were plagued by serve-receive errors. I had faith that our serving was going to be consistently aggressive and our offense was diverse enough. We had seven serve errors and 16 aces. It’s a testament to our girls’ focus and work in the gym, and Megan [Smith] ran a brilliant offense tonight. We beat a really good team tonight. They are going to have a great season. I’m happy we got this game out of the way early in the season. It was a great test to lose the first set and come back to win.”

Elaina Millaway paced the Royals with 23 kills. Setter Tessa Kwiatkowski made 30 assists, while Ellie Millaway powered 19 kills. Senior libero Lily Fetterman registered 22 digs.

“I think we got a little too confident in ourselves,” said Royals head coach Mike Zampini. “Once we lost the lead, it just built up on them. I’m a little concerned that we lost, but it’s not going to affect our season. We are going to come back strong. Cape played a great game.”

The Vikings travel to Ursuline Monday, Sept. 12, while the Royals host Caesar Rodney Tuesday, Sept. 13.