Lewisburg, Pa. (Sep.21, 2019) --- Delaware State won two of three matches to finish second at the Bucknell Invitational this weekend. The Hornets closed out the tournament by splitting two matches today, defeating Hampton 3-1 before falling to host Bucknell by the same score.
In the Hampton match, the Hornets took the first set 25-19. The Pirates evened the contest with a 25-19 victory in the second set.
The Hornets won the last two sets 25-23 and 25-21 to notch their third straight win, the team's longest streak since winning seven in a row in 2010.
DSU's Anadys Valentin topped all players with 15 kills, while fellow freshman Ryanne Burnett had 13 kills and nine digs in the match. Jasmal Cruz (fr.) had match-highs of 21 digs and four aces for the Hornets.
Bucknell won its 10th straight match to end DSU's win streak.
The Hornets ran out of gas after winning the first set 25-19. Bucknell bounced back to win the second set 25-14 and opened up a 2-1 lead with a 25-7 victory in set. Delaware State made the Bison work to close out the win, dropping the fourth set 26-24.
Valentin led the DSU with nine kills and three aces, while Burnett eight winners. Delaware State's Sydney Lewis tied for match-high honors with five blocks.
The Hornets (5-9) begin their Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference schedule with matches at Coppin State next Friday (Sep. 27) and Morgan State two days later (Sep. 29).
DSU will play its home opener on Oct. 4 against defending MEAC champ Howard.
