TOWSON, Md. --- Lexi Wierzbicki led the way with 19 kills and Claire Campbell set a new career-high with eight blocks as sixth-seeded College of Charleston fell to third-seeded Delaware in a gritty five-set on Thursday evening in the quarterfinal round of the CAA Championship.
 
Delaware (16-10, 10-6 CAA) won the match by scores of 17-25, 16-25, 25-21, 25-22 and 15-13 rallying from a 2-0 deficit and holding off a late Charleston (14-16) surge in the fifth frame to complete the reverse sweep. The Blue Hens combined for 61 kills, seven aces, seven blocks, 88 digs and a .125 hitting percentage. Charleston finished the match with 58 kills, 11 blocks, six aces, 94 digs and a .168 attacking clip.
 
QUICK SETS
Final Score: Delaware 3, Charleston 2 (17-25, 16-25, 25-21, 25-22, 15-13)
Location: Towson, Md. (SECU Arena)
Records: Charleston (14-16, 9-7 CAA), Delaware (16-10, 10-6 CAA)
 
Critical Point
With Charleston holding a narrow 13-12 lead in the fifth set courtesy of a Wierzbicki kill, Delaware answered with three straight points to complete the reverse sweep and advance to Friday's semifinal round.
 
Key Cougars

• Campbell delivered one of the best blocking performances of her career finishing the night with a personal-best eight blocks.
• Wierzbicki paced the offense with 19 kills including 10 over the final two frames.
• Gabi Bailey turned in her team-best 22^nd career double-double with 11 kills, 16 digs and five blocks.
• Jasmin Goei dished out 25 assists and added a career-high 16 digs to account for her fourth double-double of the season.
• Emma Appleman recorded a double-double with 23 assists and 11 digs in her return to the lineup.
• Tynley Smeltzer breached the 20-dig mark for the sixth time this season with 22 including seven in the fourth set.
• Logan Pope chipped in eight kills and six blocks.

Match Notes

• The Cougars suffered a reverse sweep for the second time this season on Thursday – both at the hands of Delaware.
• Anna Smith narrowly missed a double-double with 10 kills and nine digs.
• Charleston recorded at least 20 digs in sets one, three and four including 23 in the opening frame.
• Goei accounted for eight of her 16 digs in the first set.

Farewell Class of '23

• Campbell concludes her storied career ranked eighth on the program's all-time list with 322 career blocks. Her .358 hitting percentage this season is good for seventh on the school's single-season rankings during the rally-scoring era. She finishes her tenure at the College with 543 kills and a .265 career hitting percentage.
• Emma Falk ends her four-year career at CofC with 266 kills, 261 blocks and a .232 hitting percentage. The Niwot, Colo. Native set the single-season record for blocks per set (1.65) in 2020 and ranks third all-time with a career average of 1.26 per frame.
• Pope finishes her tenure at the College with 310 kills, 122 blocks and a .202 career hitting percentage. The Chapel Hill, N.C. native put together a career season this fall with personal bests in kills (113), blocks (46) and hitting percentage (.259).
• Caroline Pender wraps up her time at the College having appeared in 71 matches totaling 31 assists, 19 service aces and 188 digs. She delivered a career performance on Senior Day against North Carolina A&T with personal bests of 16 digs and seven assists.
• Tori Carpenter concludes her four-year career at CofC with 623 assists and 214 digs in 43 appearances. She enjoyed her best season as a Cougar as a freshman in 2019 averaging 5.54 assists and 1.56 digs per set in 24 matches.
• Senior Cat Schmid appeared in 12 matches over the last three seasons at the College totaling 37 digs, eight service aces and three assists. She set the four-set single-match record with seven service aces in a 3-1 win at Northeastern on Nov. 6, 2021. 

The Cougars are expected to return 13 letter-winners from this year's squad including returning seniors Bailey and Wierzbicki as well as rising senior Sofie Vogel.