WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The William & Mary volleyball team produced a potent offensive attack, but was held off by Delaware in a 3-2 (25-20, 25-27, 25-19, 23-25, 15-9) final during the CAA opener on Thursday evening in Kaplan Arena. The Tribe (2-12, 0-1 CAA) was out blocked by the Blue Hens (3-8, 1-0 CAA), 14-4, and that proved to be the difference maker in an evenly-matched contest.

W&M was paced by a trio of senior Sydney Biniak, junior Heather Pippus and freshman Julia Brown. Biniak went her 10^th consecutive match with double-figure kills as she registered 19 in 40 attempts with eight errors (.325 attack percentage). Both Pippus and Brown tallied a season-high 13 kills each.

After dropping a closely contested first set, the Tribe responded strongly in the second.  A 4-0 run, highlighted by a great dig from freshman Lauren Moussaid and a kill by Brown, saw the Tribe get off to a 9-4 start. Delaware pulled back, and had a chance to take the second at 25-24. After fending off a set point, the Tribe finished game two on a 3-0 run, capped off with a kill from Casey Foote.

The Green and Gold got off to another fast start in the third, pulling out to a 7-2 lead.  However, Delaware was able to gain some momentum and took the third set with a score of 19-25. Similar to the first three sets, the fourth was another back-and-forth affair. Two kills from Biniak late in the set helped the Tribe to claim the fourth stanza.

The Tribe was unable to get off to a quick start in the fifth and trailed early, 4-1. Delaware extended their lead with a 5-0 run to take a 6-13 advantage. Despite a solid block from Biniak, the Tribe could not pull off a late rally and eventually fell to Delaware, 15-9, in the fifth.

Inside the Numbers
- As a team, W&M generated a season-best 76 digs and matched its season-highs in 69 kills and 78.0 points.
- Moussaid led all players with a season-high 22 digs to spotlight the defensive efforts. It's her sixth match with double-digit digs and her second with at least 20.
- Sophomore Autumn Brenner eclipsed 40 assists for the second time this season as she distributed a match-high 44. The McLean, Va., native also served a pair of aces.
- Rookie Kate Dedrick contributed to the offensive charge with nine kills, which marks her sixth outing with at least eight.
- Foote, Biniak and Pippus hammered five kills apiece in the fifth set. In the fourth period, Brown highlighted the frame with six kills, while Biniak and Dedrick nailed five more.
- Foote finished the contest hitting .318 with eight kills and 10 digs. The second-year player reached at least 10 digs for the first time in 2017.
- The Blue Hens rejected five attacks in the first set and three more in the second. The Blue Hens defense also held the Tribe to a -.133 attack percentage in the fifth set.
- Maria Bellinger, of Delaware, earned a match-high 25 kills behind a .322 attack rate.  

Notes
It's the first time this season W&M had three players record 10-plus kills…Pippus recorded double-digits kills in back-to-back matches and was just shy of her second consecutive double-double with nine digs.…Biniak also chipped in nine digs and served a pair of aces for the second time in 2017…Brown produced a season-best 16 points and  totaled at least three blocks for the sixth time this year…The contest marked the Tribe's second five-set contest of the season…Rookie Katie Turner was the third player to earn double-figure digs with 11…Foote, Brown and Biniak each recorded a .315-plus hitting percentage.
 
Up Next
The Tribe continues its homestead with another conference tilt against in-state foe James Madison on Saturday at 7 PM. W&M will dedicate the contest to the American Heart Association and the organization's effort to battle cardiovascular disease.