Score: Delaware 3, VCU 2 (29-27, 23-25, 24-26, 27-25, 15-12)
Location: Newark, Del. (Bob Carpenter Center)
Records: VCU 1-6, Delaware 5-4
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The short story: Senior middle blocker
Nina Boledovicova ripped a career-high 19 kills and junior outside hitter
Lara Del Core made a dramatic return to the court for the first time in nearly a year, but Delaware outlasted VCU in a two-hour and forty-minute marathon Thursday night in Newark.
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OPENING VOLLEY
- Boledovicova led the way for the Black and Gold with 19 kills, while hitting .348 on 46 attempts. She also contributed four blocks
- Del Core, returning from a knee injury last season, came off the bench in the second set and showed little rust, spiking 15 kills, while hitting .238 on 42 swings
- Junior middle blocker Letizia Galli continued her hot start to the 2026 season, providing 16 kills and seven blocks – including four solos – for the Rams
- VCU junior setter Cansin Sendir dished out a career-best 60 assists and dug 12 balls
- Anna Logan Gillens carried the Blue Hens across the finish line with a match-high 28 kills
THE DIFFERENCE
- VCU stood on the verge of victory in the fourth, but Delaware fought off three match points and rallied for a 27-25 win
- The Blue Hens hit .381 and never trailed in the fifth-set tiebreaker. UD used a pair of blocks by Morgan Campbell and a Gillens kill to grab a 3-0 lead. The Rams fought back to tie the frame at 10-10, but could not take control. The Blue Hens responded with four straight points – two kills each by Gillens and Asia Murray – to turn VCU away
- The Rams, down 1-0 in the match, trailed 19-11 in the second set, but Boledovicova sparked a 14-4 VCU blitz with a pair of kills, and the Black and Gold earned a 25-23 equalizer
- VCU narrowly outhit Delaware (.241-.237) and outblocked the Blue Hens (12-9), but UD forced the Rams into extended rallies for much of the evening with 82 digsÂ
NOTABLE
Once rivals in the CAA, VCU and Delaware were meeting for the first time since 2016
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NEXT UP
VCU and Delaware will meet again on Friday, Sept. 18 at 4 p.m. at the Bob Carpenter Center. That match will stream live on ESPN+.
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