DELHI, N.Y. (April 3, 2021) – Seniors Haylee Lefebvre, Taylor Tsatsis, and Shelby Nolan were recognized as part of Senior Day, while head coach Beau Bracchy reached his 200th career win offered just a few highlights from Saturday's SUNY Delhi women's volleyball home doubleheader versus Cazenovia. The Broncos captured a four-set victory in the opener for Bracchy's bicentennial mark, with the Wildcats edging out a narrow five-set matchup in the latter.
Lefebvre, Tsatsis, Nolan, and Bracchy were all recognized for their career accomplishments between the two matches. Lefebvre (Glens Fall, NY) is set to graduate with a Bachelor's in Architectural Design. Tsatis (Neponsit, NY) will graduate with her Bachelor's in Event Management, and has been accepted to Syracuse University's Master's in Sports Management program. Nolan will graduate with her Bachelor's in Veterinary Science. Coach Bracchy is in his 16th season at SUNY Delhi, responsible for two team conference championships and regional tournament appearances, as well as the program's transition from NJCAA to NCAA Division III.
The Broncos close out their spring season hosting SUNY Poly on Friday, April 9 in an evening doubleheader.
GAME ONE: DELHI 3, CAZENOVIA 1 (25-19, 21-25, 25-22, 25-13)
The Broncos opened the morning contest with a 25-19 win in set one. Ahead 14-13 in set two, the Wildcats reeled off eight straight points that carried them to a 25-21 win to tie the match. The Broncos overturned being down 15-14 in set three with ten of the next 12 points to put them back in front with a 25-22 victory. Delhi carried the momentum with the first five points in set four, followed by winning 12 of the last 16 points to take the match with a 25-13 win.
Witchney Clersainville and Marie Julian led the Broncos with 11 kills, with Clersainville adding one block solo and two blocks assists and Julian tallying a team-best 31 digs with four service aces. Clersainville posted a .258 kill percentage. Taylor Tsatsis and Lexi Taylor each charted nine kills, with Tsatsis racking up a .280 kill percentage and Taylor adding 24 digs. Haylee Lefebvre netted eight kills with one error on 13 attempts for a staggering .538 kill percentage. Starting setter Chloe Elsenbeck led with 34 assists and five service aces. Libero Shelby Nolan finished with 23 digs and three service aces.
GAME TWO: CAZENOVIA 3, DELHI 2 (25-21, 19-25, 28-26, 12-25, 15-13)
Cazenovia made the most of its opportunities to stay in the game, which served them well in close sets. Delhi suffered a setback in the opening set, watching a 21-19 lead disappear in lieu of a six-point Wildcats rally to claim the set. The Broncos clapped back with a strong finish in set two to take a 25-19 win. Delhi looked to have victory in its grasp in set three by way of opening with a 5-0 lead and reaching set point at 24-21. Cazenovia stunned the green and gold with four straight points to take set point at 25-24. The Broncos reclaimed set point ahead 26-25, but the Wildcats ran off three straight points to take momentum with a 28-26 win. Delhi struck back with a vengeance in set four with a convincing 25-12 win to force set five. With the score tight throughout and momentum up for grabs, the Broncos could not overcome three service errors and five attack errors down the stretch, with an attack error accounting for Cazenovia's winning point in a 15-13 win.
Although the Broncos posted a higher overall kill percentage of .055 (46 kills, 36 errors) to Cazenovia's even .000 (41 kills, 41 errors), Delhi only made it in double digits in kills in the first and fourth sets, averaging no higher than a .120 kill percentage in any game. The green and gold also gathered ten service aces with nine service errors, while Cazenovia totaled eight service aces with nine service errors. The Wildcats' Grace Torino and Kyla Smoke made up the lion's share of the team's kill totals with 16 and ten, respectively, to lead the game.
Taylor Tsatsis and Haylee Lefebvre led Delhi with nine kills, with Tsatsis also earning 11 digs. Witchney Clersainville and Lexi Taylor each had eight kills, with Clersainville totaling two block solos and two block assists, and Taylor charting 31 digs. Marie Julian had seven kills, while charting a team-best 39 digs, as well as two service aces. Chloe Elsenbeck and Gianna Placanica split time as setters, with Elsenbeck leading with 25 assists and six service aces, as well as totaling 18 digs, while Placanica finished with 17 assists. Libero Shelby Nolan accounted for 31 digs, while freshman Katelyn Babcock totaled five kills.
