Delmarva Christian volleyball falls to Saint Mark’s in semis
There were tears of sadness, but also smiles of pride as the smallest school in the DIAA state tournament showed it has a team to contend with in the future. Delmarva Christian, the No. 2 seed in the tourney, drove more than 300 miles to play two lower-seeded teams at DIAA traditional sites. The Royals fell to No. 3 Saint Mark’s in the semifinals 22-25, 18-25, 25-23, 15-25 Nov. 10 at the Spartans’ home gymnasium.
The Royals never gave up on the hardwood despite the raucous Saint Mark’s student section hitting high decibels in their home gym. The Spartans will play Tower Hill Monday, Nov. 14, at the University of Delaware. The Hillers downed Caravel Academy in the other semifinal match.
The Royals will meet Caravel in the third-place game Monday. Caravel is coached by Cape alum Mike Leclerc. The Bucs edged out the Royals in the fifth set Oct. 27.
The Royals were paced by Elaina Millaway’s 21 kills and 16 digs. Senior setter Tessa Kwiatkowski put up 17 assists and had 11 digs, while little sis Maggie garnered 14 assists. Ellie Millaway knocked down eight kills and bumped 17 digs. Senior libero Lily Fetterman bumped 18 digs. Valencia-Lydel Mbuagbaw, Kaylan Yoder and Evelyn Jensen teamed for 12 blocks, with Yoder putting down six kills. Tobi Robinson and Addy Benjamin contributed on the service line and at the net.
“We got into a little hole in the fourth set and couldn’t dig out of it,” said Royals coach Mike Zampini. “We played competitive on every point. We played point for point with one of the best teams in the state and never gave up. I just have a special group of girls. We never gave up. I want to thank our fan base who drove all the way up here to support us.”
“The third set was intense,” said senior blocker Evelyn Jensen. “Just the fact that we got here is a great accomplishment. I’m just so proud of what we have done this year.”
