Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

LINCOLN, NE -- The University of Delaware volleyball team moved up to 5th place in the East Region in this week’s RichKern.com/American Volleyball Coaches Association poll announced today.

The rankings, which are based on the Rich Kern Percentage Index, include teams from the Atlantic Coast, Big South, and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conferences as well as the Colonial Athletic Association.

The Hens are the highest ranked CAA team in the RichKern poll for the second straight week.

Last week, Delaware swept Lehigh and George Mason while also downing James Madison, 3-1, to improve to 26-4, including 10-2 in the CAA. Their 26 wins this year are the most since the 1994 squad went 33-16 and captured the North Atlantic Conference championship.

This year’s squad is also just the third one ever to have won 10 or more conference matches in a season. Last year’s squad went 11-7 in the CAA, while the 1997 team went 11-3 in the America East.

Delaware continues to lead the CAA in team hitting percentage (.250), kills (1729), assists (1566), digs (2070) and service aces (212). The Hens have also held their opponents to a conference-low .136 attack percentage.

Co-captains Colleen Walsh and Megan Welch have led Delaware this season. Walsh has a conference-best 470 kills, while Welch leads the CAA with 1,382 assists.

Megan is also just 79 assists shy of becoming the second Blue Hen ever to reach 4,000 career assists. Nikki Brassell is Delaware's all-time leader with 4,538.

Sophomore libero Steph Barry has also had a great year, posting 53 aces and 682 digs. She leads the conference in both categories and is just 34 digs shy of the all-time single-season school record.

Michelle LaLonde also has the highest hitting percentage in the CAA with a .318 mark.

In addition to the upperclassmen, the Hens have been aided by a strong freshman presence, led by Paige Erickson (#3 at right) and Katie Dennehy (#9). Erickson is second in the conference with 106 blocks, while her 1.36 blocks-per-game average in conference matches is also the second best in the league.

Dennehy has the fourth highest hitting percentage in conference matches, notching a .308 mark. Her in-conference 3.49 kills-per-game average is also the 10th best in the CAA.

Fellow freshman Greta Gibboney is ninth in the conference with a 0.34 aces-per-game average. Her 36 aces this season are second on the team, while she is fourth on the Hens with 238 digs.

Along with Delaware, Hofstra was ranked 8th in the poll, while James Madison fell to 10th. Northeastern, William & Mary, and George Mason also place among the top-20 teams in the East.

Clemson remained in the top spot in the region, while Duke, Georgia Tech, and Virginia rounded out the top four. All four squads hail from the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Delaware returns to action on Thursday when the squad travels to Williamsburg to face William & Mary at 7 p.m.

AGATE:

2007 RichKern.com/AVCA Regional Rankings - East Division (November 6): 1. Clemson; 2. Duke; 3. Georgia Tech; 4. Virginia; 5. Delaware; 6. Florida State; 7. Liberty; 8. Hofstra; 9. North Carolina; 10. James Madison; 11. Virginia Tech; 12. Northeastern; 13. Maryland; 14. Winthrop; 15. Georgia State; 16. William & Mary; 17. High Point; 18. Maryland - Eastern Shore; 19. George Mason; 20. Boston College.