Smyrna volleyball Elise Carter celebrates after a point during the state championship photo courtesy of Ben Fulton

Smyrna wins first volleyball state championship

Jason WinchellHeadlines, Sports

NEWARK — No doubt, Smyrna got contributions from all six positions on the floor during the DIAA championship match on Thursday night at the Bob Carpenter Center. But the big three — Anna Richardson, Elise Carter and Eliza Schneider — were just too much for Ursuline as the Eagles captured their first state title with a decisive 3-1 win. This …

Dover vs Smyrna volleyball game photo courtesy of Ben Fulton 2

View from the Baseline: State Tournament quarterfinals

Jason WinchellHeadlines, Sports

Two-thirds of the field has been eliminated, and eight teams remain in the hunt for the state championship. The DIAA tournament resumes Thursday with four quarterfinal matches, which for the first time in memory in a non-covid year will be played at home sites.   No. 5 Padua at No. 4 Ursuline: The longtime rivals likely looked at the bracket …

Smyrna vs Saint Marks Volleyball photo courtesy of Ben Fulton

View from the Baseline: First round of playoffs

Jason WinchellHeadlines, Sports

Tournament fever is in the air. One of the most exciting championship events on the high school calendar is just a few days away. The volleyball postseason got going on Wednesday and Thursday, with four first-round matches each night. The second round took  place Friday and Saturday. Saint Mark’s is the top seed despite a loss in the regular-season finale …

Caesar Rodney vs Polytech volleyball photo courtesy of Ben Fulton

View from the Baseline: Week 6 volleyball top 10 rankings

Jason WinchellHeadlines, Sports

This week on the Baseline, we’re going to take a look at the various conference races and see where they stand. Remember, the conference champions get an automatic bid to the state tournament as long as they are in the top half of teams according to point index. So, theoretically, a team could finish with a record of 12-3 and …

Caesar Rodney vs Dover Volleyball match photo courtesy of Ben Fulton

View from the Baseline: Week 5 volleyball top 10 rankings

Jason WinchellHeadlines, Sports

Could we be seeing a state championship preview this week? That certainly could be the case on Tuesday, when Saint Mark’s and Smyrna meet at 6 p.m. The Spartans and Eagles are the last two remaining unbeaten teams in Delaware after two others who entered last week with no losses — Newark Charter and Middletown — both went down to …

Smyrna vs Caesar Rodney Vollyeball photo courtesy of Ben Fulton

View from the Baseline: Week 4 volleyball top 10 rankings

Jason WinchellHeadlines, Sports

We’re headed back to the Henlopen Conference North this week on the Baseline, where another program is making noise. This time, it’s Caesar Rodney, which has slipped into the top 10 after a 2-0 week that included a sweep of Dover on the road. The Riders are 5-2 entering this week, with both losses coming to top-5 teams in Smyrna …

Archmere vs Ursuline volleyball game photo courtesy of Mike Lang

View from the Baseline: Week 3 top 10 rankings

Jason WinchellHeadlines, Sports

The big news of the week comes from Delaware Military Academy, and it has nothing to do with the Seahawks’ play on the court. Unfortunately, an equipment malfunction has wreaked havoc with the team’s season. DMA athletic director Jeremy Jeanne did not respond to an email or text message seeking details, but the court cannot be used until the net …

Cape vs Dover volleyball game photo courtesy of Dan CookCape Gazette

View from the Baseline: Week 2 top 10 rankings

Jason WinchellHeadlines, Sports

Hey, Dover, we heard you. Let’s talk about the Senators. Dover is 4-0 heading into this week, with all four victories coming on the road. After opening with a sweep of the sixth-ranked Caravel, Dover moved to 4-0 after defeating No. 5 Delmarva Christian, 3-1, on Sept. 16 in Georgetown. Three of the four sets were decided by the minimum …

Ursuline Academy volleyball team cheers after a point photo by Nick Halliday

View from the Baseline: Week 1 rankings

Jason WinchellHeadlines, Sports

It’s hard to make any conclusions based on four days of volleyball, but here’s what we see from the baseline. Let’s start with the 10th-ranked Ursuline Raiders, who are 2-0 after a win at DMA on Sept. 9.  Big hitters up front, a quality setter in Hayley Timmons, and a typical Ursuline defense look pretty good. They needed four sets …

Tower Hill volleyball teams last season in the state championship photo courtesy of Nick Halliday

View from the baseline: Preseason volleyball rankings

Jason WinchellHigh Schools, Sports

It’s only half a week, but the 2023 high school volleyball season gets going with a bang on Wednesday night, with defending champion Tower Hill traveling to Broom Street to meet Padua, a match that will be streamed live on Delaware Live sports. But that’s just one of 11 matches on the schedule for the season’s first day. Other notable …