Delmarva Christian volleyball is money against Sussex Academy

Royals dispatch Seahawks 3-0; win streak at four heading into road trip

In between sets during Delmarva Christian’s 3-0 win against Sussex Academy Oct. 7, the Royals pumped themselves up with some monetary motivation. While it wasn’t real money, the girls certainly cashed in on the court. AARON R. MUSHRUSH

Aaron R. Mushrush

October 8, 2024

For the first time in the 2024 season, the Delmarva Christian volleyball team has climbed above the .500 mark after defeating Sussex Academy 3-0 at home Oct. 7.

The cross-town rivals kicked off the match exchanging points in the first set until an 8-8 tie. A four-point run from the Royals forced Seahawks coach Hailee Gooch to call a timeout. Chipping away at Delmarva Christian’s lead, Sussex Academy forced Royals coach John Luong to gather his team up 22-19. The timeout worked, as the Royals earned the final three points for a 25-19 set win.

“Once we got into a groove, the back row was passing well, everybody started clicking together and we started playing in unison,” Luong said.

Carrying the momentum into the second set, Delmarva Christian jumped out to an early 11-2 lead before Gooch called timeout. Unfortunately for the Seahawks, the regrouping didn’t take like it did in the first set. A confident Royals squad became increasingly aggressive at the net before Layni Dukes sealed the 25-10 win with a game-winning serve.

“I saw a lot of good work; our passes were pretty much on all night, which was very helpful to me as a setter,” Royals senior Keely Kondracki said. “Whenever we get a great pass, great set, great hit, get an assist, get a kill, we love it.”

Delmarva Christian clinched the 3-0 victory with a 25-13 win in the third set, completing its sweep of back-to-back games against schools with Sussex in the name.

“We came in from the last game on Friday hyped and we were ready to play this game,” Kondracki said. “We were ready to win, and we were ready to get some hard work done and win some more games.”

At 6-5, the Royals will have to fight hard to stay above the watermark as they embark on a three-game away schedule over the next two weeks with games against Tower Hill, Caesar Rodney and Caravel Academy.

“When we are passing and setting, we can keep up with a lot of the teams in the state, but it starts with the back row,” Luong said. “Tonight, our back row was much stronger, passing was a lot cleaner and everything was a lot more consistent.”

Delmarva Christian will finish out the regular season with its Senior Night game at 5 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 23 against Red Lion Christian.