Lady Blackhawks hitter Madelyn Barrows prepares for the kill attempt in Wednesday match against Delhi. After an exciting first two sets, Oxford cruised to a third game win to beat the Bulldogs for the first win of the season. (Evening Sun Photo, Meagan Schulz)
UV spilt two in back-to-back
OXFORD – Seeing the first W in the win column for the 2019 season, the Oxford Blackhawks (1-2) defeated the Delhi Bulldogs 3-0.
The first game set the tone for the match as it was exciting start for both teams.
Delhi took an early in the set but Oxford climbed back before taking a commanding 23-11 lead as the home team needed two points to close out the first game with a win.
Those two points did not come for a while as the Bulldogs used the Blackhawks miscues to cut the advantage down nothing, tying the match at 24-24.
Delhi scored a point and needed a signal point to end the set but Oxford found a way to take the point back. The two teams went back-and-forth for the next eight points, tying the game at 28-28. Oxford scored the final two points back-to-back to win the first set 30-28.
The second set played out the same way at the end but the Blackhawks were able to close the second game out at 26-24.
Facing nearly the same situation from the match a night earlier, Oxford held a two game lead and needed just one more win to take the best-of-five match.
Confident after the first two set wins, the Blackhawks put the match away with a 25-14 third game win.
The victory was a true team effort as the statistics were even throughout the team. Mallory Olsen-Nichols ended the match with seven kills and two aces – a stat shared with Maddy Howe and Lilie Horton.
Olivia Kelsey and Daysha Simpson added to Oxford’s kill total as each recorded three a piece. Simpson also provided the team with nine assists in the win. Heavier on the defense side for the Blackhawks were Madalyn Barrows and Karissa Maricle. Both players saved three points a piece from Delhi kill attempts and kept the volley going for the home team.
Oxford’s next match is scheduled for Thursday, September 27 as the squad travels 14 miles south on Route 12 to the home of the Greene Trojans. The Midstate Athletic Conference, inter-county match is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m.
Oxford 3, Delhi 0
30-28, 26-24, 25-14
Delhi: Riley Davis 2 aces; Julia Baxter 5 kills, 3 blocks; Lindsey Wright 5 assists.
Oxford: Maddy Howe 2 aces; Lilie Horton 2 aces; Mallory Olsen-Nichols 2 aces, 7 kills; Olivia Kelsey 3 kills; Daysha Simpson 3 kills, 9 assists; Madalyn Barrows 3 digs; Karissa Maricle 3 digs.
Deposit/Hancock 3, Unadilla Valley 1
