Senior Duo Blocks Brilliantly in Farewell Match, 'Cats Fall 3-1 in A-10 Tourney

Friday, November 18

St. Louis, Mo.

7:00 P.M. (ET)

Davidson College Athletics

10-19

Saint Louis

17-13

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Davidson	17	23	25	14	1
Saint Louis	25	25	21	25	3

Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com

Senior Duo Blocks Brilliantly in Farewell Match, 'Cats Fall 3-1 in A-10 Tourney

11/18/2016 9:02:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

DavidsonPhotos.com
Davidson-SLU Box Score (PDF)

ST. LOUIS – In their first-ever Atlantic 10 Championship Tournament match, sixth-seeded Davidson volleyball fell 3-1 to host Saint Louis Friday in Chaifetz Pavilion. The third-seeded Billikens set a facility record with 14 aces en route to a 25-17, 25-23, 21-25, 25-14 victory.

Sophomore Mason Rooney led the offense, registering 10 kills on a .400 hitting efficiency, recording a double-double after picking up 10 assists as well. Sophomore Ciera Cockrell added seven kills, pulling in a season-best .333 hitting percentage. The senior duo of Emily Franklin and Mikayla Derochie delivered dominant performances at the net in their final matches at Wildcats, each tallying nine total blocks. The team recorded their second-most blocks of the season, totaling 15.

"I'm extremely proud of the accomplishments this team had this year," head coach Chris Willis said. "We made a lot of strides in moving this program forward. Our seniors, Emily and Mikayla, led this team throughout the season and through the match today, and I couldn't have asked for anything better from them or be more proud of them and what they've accomplished in their four years here. My hope is that our underclassmen take something from their leadership style and are able to continue to move forward."

The 'Cats were slow coming out of the gate, allowing Saint Louis to pick up six straight points to begin the opening stanza. The Billikens used another big sequence, taking seven-in-a-row to increase their lead to 22-8. Davidson responded with a 5-0 rally and taking nine of the next 12 points, but was unable to overcome the early deficit and dropped the opening set 25-17.

Davidson battled hard in the second frame, tying the score four times late in the set before slipping 25-23. The front line was strong on the blocking front recording six total, including the veteran duo of Franklin and Derochie rejecting three in a row.

The Wildcats ignited following intermission, controlling the entire third set, taking the first point and never relinquishing the lead. Davidson led by as many seven points, never slipping to more than two points in control. The 'Cats capitalized on 10 SLU errors and used their continued dominance at the net to take the set, 25-21.

The 'Cats were unable to force a fifth set, falling in the fourth 25-14 and in the match 3-1.

Derochie fell one block assist shy of entering the top 10 in the record books for career block assists, but will leave the program seventh all-time in assists, with 2,652 and seventh in single-season block assists (92). Franklin leaves her name in eight different categories, listed below.

            2ND      Career Block Assists (380)
            2ND      Single-Season Total Blocks (162)
            3RD      Career Total Blocks (467)
            3RD      Single-Season Block Assists (125)
            3RD      Single-Season Hitting Percentage (.330)
            4TH      Career Hitting Percentage (.279)
            4TH      Career Block Solo Blocks (87)
            4TH      Single-Season Solo Blocks (37)