Delhi Women's Volleyball is locked in for the North Atlantic Conference Tournament, starting this Saturday after concluding their regular season last weekend. The Broncos, led by head coach Beau Bracchy in his 19th season, will face the top seed, Eastern Nazarene, on Saturday, November 4th at 2:00 PM.
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"While the team's record isn't as strong as the past few seasons, this group has a lot of talent and we're looking forward to going to Quincy, Massachusetts this weekend to compete for the NAC West Division title. Our line-up is a little different than we had anticipated heading into the playoffs, as we lost senior captain and starting opposite, Stephanie Burke, to a season-ending injury a couple of weeks ago. We have been playing around with the line-up the past two weeks and Coach Hoffmann and I look forward to putting out a solid group that is ready to compete this Saturday at Eastern Nazarene," said head coach Bracchy, "We have five upperclassmen that have helped the team win at a high percentage within the conference the past three seasons, so their experience should be beneficial with helping our underclassmen understand what this time of the volleyball season is all about. As the defending west division champs and NAC conference runners-up from 2022, we're going to put in the work and do whatever it takes to find a way to win two matches this weekend and advance to the NAC Championship match on November 11th."
The green and gold enter the tournament as the fourth seed in the NAC West after finishing the regular season with a 7-16 record, including a 5-5 record in conference play. Despite a challenging start to the season, they finished strong, winning five of their last 11 matches.
They averaged 8.51 kills, 7.72 assists, and 2.63 service aces per set. The Broncos made their mark in the Delhi record books, with 5th-year Chloe Elsenbeck becoming the program's service ace leader. Senior Stephanie Burke and Jaiden Venute also achieved significant milestones, reaching 500 kills and 1,000 assists, respectively.
Upperclassmen Elsenbeck and Sage Renneisen led the offensive charge throughout the season, both recording triple-digit kills. Renneisen, with a team-high 155 kills, ranked 17th in the NAC, averaging 2.07 kills per set. Elsenbeck, who also led the team in service aces, ranked sixth in the conference with 0.71 kills per set.
Sophomore newcomer Laurel Poston, along with Venute, played significant roles in the setter position, combining for 480 assists throughout the season. To compliment the team's attack, senior Katelyn Babcock was a dominant defensive presence at the net, ranking second in the NAC with 51 total blocks, averaging 0.63 per set.
Freshman Madelyn Diep excelled in the libero position during her first collegiate season, playing in the second-highest number of sets for any Bronco. She had an impressive season, with 408 service returns and 265 digs, earning her the 5th spot in the NAC with 3.35 digs per set.
The Broncos will kick off the 2023 NAC Tournament by facing Eastern Nazarene on November 4th. The two teams met twice during the regular season, with the Lions emerging victorious in both matchups.
